Serena and Venus Williams were my idols. COCO GAUFF

Coco Gauff caught the attention of the world this year by reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon. The 15-year-old had qualified for the tournament as a wild card and went on to beat more experienced players. Among them, Venus Williams, a five-time champion at Wimbledon. The teenager upset the seven-time Grand Slam champion in the opening round of the tournament. She stated afterward that the match a great achievement for her, expressing her admiration of the Williams sisters.

Youngest qualifier at Wimbledon

Gauff recently said that she looked up to Serena and Venus when she was growing up. The teenager had a poster of Serena Williams and Jaden Smith in her bedroom. However, after her breakout year in the sport, her mother replaced Jaden’s poster with her daughter’s. The 15-year-old has achieved a new level of fame since Wimbledon. The teenager became the youngest player to qualify for the tournament. Her third-round victory over Polona Hercog drew over five million viewers, according to The New York Times. She received congratulations messages for her run in the tournament. The most notable message was from former first lady Michelle Obama.

She hopes she can inspire others

During an interview with Vogue magazine, the American has said she now tries to be an inspiration to young girls everywhere, just as Serena and Venus inspired her. “Watching the Williams sisters growing up, I always looked up to them. Now I have people saying they look up to me, and it’s a big challenge. I’m representing myself, yes, but I’m also representing young girls who want to do big things.” The teenager said she will continue to work hard and achieve as much as her idols. She hopes her story will serve as an inspiration to other young girls to follow their dreams.

The 15-year-old’s dream run at Wimbledon ended in the round of 16 after she lost to Simona Halep. The Romanian went on to win the title in the final against Serena Williams. Gauff also played in the US Open, reaching the third round of the tournament. She lost to Naomi Osaka. Her performances in the major tournaments saw her move up the rankings. Before Wimbledon, the American was ranked 313^th in the world. She is now just outside the top 100, currently ranked 109. Gauff is playing in the Upper Austria Ladies Linz this week. She replaced Maria Sakkari at the tournament after the player withdrew. The 15-year-old reached the second round, defeating Stefanie Voegele.

Gauff in Linz, ranking, and results in 2019

Ranked no.110, Gauff has a 14-7 win-loss record in 2019. The American is currently playing in Linz where she bested Liudmila Samsonova 6-7¹⁰ 6-2 6-2 and Stefanie Voegele 6-3 7-6³.

The American will compete against Kozlova in the 2^nd round. They have never played each so far on the main tour.

Serena Williams’s ranking and performance in 2019

Ranked no.9, the American played her last match on the 7^th of September when she lost to Bianca Vanessa Andreescu 6-3 7-5 in the final in U.S. Open.

Serena Williams’s best performance of the present year was reaching the final in at the U.S. Open, Toronto and in Wimbledon.

Cori Gauff and Serena Williams have never played each other.