ATLANTA — Coco Gauff, the Atlanta-born teenager who captured the imagination of the country back in 2019 with her run to the fourth round at Wimbledon, is back at it again.
Gauff, now a 17-year-old, equaled her 2019 run on Saturday by advancing to the fourth round with a straight-sets win, 6-3, 6-3, over Kaja Juvan.
Her match was featured on Centre Court, the tournament's most prestigious setting.
"You guys always bring the energy, no matter if you're rooting for me or not," she told fans to cheers in her post-match interview. "It's a good feeling to be on this court, and I'm super honored that the tournament allows me to play on this court. It's not often that a 17-year-old gets to play here, so thank you."
Gauff, who was seeded 20th for the tournament, is now one of the last 16 players remaining. She will face a formidable task to try to reach the quarterfinals - German Angelique Kerber, a former world No. 1 and the 2018 Wimbledon champion.
Ranked 23rd in the world now, Gauff has already reached the quarterfinals at the French Open this year, and reached the semifinals at the Masters-level Italian Open.
She acknowledged she's allowed herself to dream a bit about reaching the Wimbledon final, but said, "I like to take it one match at a time, focus on match in front of me" and that she's trying to "enjoy the moment as it goes."