Coco Gauff, an American teenager who burst onto Wimbledon's tennis scene two years ago, reached the third round by beating Elena Vesnina 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday.In the match's 70 minutes, Gauff had nine aces and was the first to play on Centre Court.After the match, Gauff stated that it meant a lot to him to be back on Centre Court. "Honestly, this court makes my nervousest, but once I win the match, it's one of the greatest feelings. Today, I was very nervous going in. Centre Court is the only court like it."As a qualifier, Gauff made her Wimbledon main draw debut in 2019. In her first match, she defeated Venus Williams, one her childhood heroes. She made it to the fourth round, but lost to Simona Halep, eventual champion.Since then, she has reached the fourth round of the 2020 Australian Open. She also recorded her best result at the French Open last month with a quarterfinal appearance.She has won two WTA singles titles. The most recent was at Parma in Mai. Current No. 1 in the world is a career high. 23-year-old Gauff was named to the U.S. Olympic Team for Tokyo this week.Gauff will next face Kaja Juvan Saturday. Clara Burel was defeated by Juvan 6-4,6-4 on Thursday.Gauff stated that the difference between 2019 and this year is her belief in herself.She stated that her goal was to win the tournament every time, regardless of how I rank or what others think about me. "What I can say is that my goal is clearer now than in 2019, I think. "I believe that my belief is stronger now. I feel confident and capable of going far."When the draw was revealed, fans were thrilled to see Gauff face Serena Williams in round 4. Williams had to withdraw from her first match due to injury and Angelique Kerber is now the only seeded opponent she could face in round 16. Her quarter has no remaining top-10 seeds.Speaking on court after the win, Gauff stated that she felt good about her game.Gauff stated that she feels like she's grown and changed a lot. "Last time that I was on this court I didn't think many people knew my name. After the Venus match, however, a lot more people knew my name. But it feels a bit like I am at home. In 2019, I was enjoying the experience. Now I am learning from it and going into these matches believing that I can win. Although I was confident that I could win, I now feel so much more confident on court.Gauff will also be playing doubles at All England Club alongside longtime partner Caty McNally. The seeded No. 12 duo is now open play. 12, against Ellen Perez & Daria Kasatkina. They reached the quarterfinals twice at majors. Vesnina was on maternity leave and was playing in her second major. After giving birth in November 2018, she returned to the tour with her baby girl in March 2018.
