Coco Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz advance to third round at Wimbledon

AP photo by Mosa'ab Elshamy / Coco Gauff plays a backhand return to Anca Todoni during their second-round match at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Gauff, the No. 2 seed in the women's singles draw, won 6-2, 6-1. AP photo by Mosa'ab Elshamy / Coco Gauff plays a backhand return to Anca Todoni during their second-round match at Wimbledon on Wednesday. Gauff, the No. 2 seed in the women's singles draw, won 6-2, 6-1.

By The Associated Press July 3, 2024 5 min read

LONDON — Coco Gauff likes the No. 1 Court at the All England Club.

It’s where she beat tennis legend Venus Williams back in 2019, when Gauff made her Wimbledon debut as a main-draw qualifier at age 15.

On Wednesday, Gauff beat qualifier Anca Todoni 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the third round at this year’s edition of the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.

“This is the court where I first started here at Wimbledon. Court 1 is always a special place for me to play on,” the 20-year-old American said in her on-court interview.

The victory also allows Gauff, the No. 2 seed, to move another step away from last year’s first-round exit.