Sports

A 15-year-old American who had to take a science test last week just beat Venus Williams in the first round at Wimbledon

Who is Cori Gauff at Wimbledon
Cori Gauff. Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
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Cori Gauff, remember the name.

Gauff, a 15-year-old American, just won over the Wimbledon Championships crowd after giving the five-time champion Venus Williams one of the matches of her life, in her Grand Slam debut no less.

The teenager took a science examination just last week, said it was a "dream" to play Williams ahead of their first round clash on Monday, and ended up taking her idol to school on Court One.

Despite the occasion, Gauff always seemed to remain cool, breaking Williams in the fifth game of the first set, to enjoy a 3-2 lead. Gauff hit drop shots, forced errors from Williams, and showed good movement to hit winners from all angles, going on to take the first set 6-4.

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In the second, Gauff again broke in the fifth game, mastering the rallies to take critical points from the Wimbledon veteran.

Later in the set, Gauff broke again to go 5-4, giving her the chance to serve for the win. Showing great clutch, Gauff's service game rarely wobbled as she controlled the moment, won the match, then collapsed onto her knees and cried. She had done it, a straight sets win 6-4, 6-4 over one of the most recognized names in tennis.

Watch the winning moment right here:

Cori Gauff
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

"I don't know how to feel," Gauff told the BBC broadcast after her win. "This is the first time I ever cried after a match, winning obviously. I don't even know how to explain how I feel. I definitely told myself to stay calm, I never played on a court that big. Everything around it might be bigger, but the lines are the same."

Gauff, ranked 273 in the world, then revealed what Williams said to her as they embraced over the net. "She told me, 'Congratulations, keep going, and good luck.' I thanked her for everything she did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. She's so inspiring."

When asked what her parents will be feeling, she said: "Super happy. My dad was jumping around with every point. The time they've spent around me and my brothers, making sure that we are successful.

"I'm literally living my dream right now."

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Alan Dawson is Insider's combat sports correspondent. He moved to Las Vegas indefinitely after being shortlisted twice for Sports Journalist of the Year in 2020. He has twice been credited by the Boxing Writer's Association of America, is a Hall of Fame voter, and an MMA Journalists Association member. He joined Insider in 2017 as a reporter, was promoted to senior reporter in 2019, and then again to a correspondent in 2020, after establishing Insider Inc. as one of the best independent publications to follow in the fight sports industries. He is read by millions of people around the world every month. He has investigated the intersection of organized crime and boxing, uncovered possible bribery in sport, and has been ringside for some of the most iconic moments in combat sports including Fury-Wilder 2, Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, and Davis-Garcia. He has taken assignments in Europe, the Middle East, and across the U.S., and was one of the few credentialed reporters to cover the UFC during the pandemic era of sports when the company held MMA events behind-closed-doors in a bubble environment on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Dawson has been featured on Morning Kombat on Showtime, on BBC and GB News in the UK, and The Sun in Ireland. His work has been cited by CNN, The Telegraph, Forbes, USA Today, IB Times, Boxing Scene, World Boxing News, Sherdog, Bloody Elbow, The Sun, The Mirror, and Metro, as well as national media in Finland, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Follow him on Twitter at @alandawsonsport.