15 Year Old Cori Gauff Defeats Venus Williams 39, At The Wimbledon 2019

Venus Williams shook hands with Cori Gauff(right)

At 15 years old, most teenagers are spending summer lounging by the beach or taking time to catch up on their Netflix queues. But teentennis player Cori “Coco” Gauff had another idea: On July 1, Cori defeated opponent Venus y in the opening round of Wimbledon, earning her not only a win, but a history-making one.

Recently, Cori became the youngest tennis player ever to qualify to compete in the exclusive Wimbledon tournament during the Open era. The American tennis prodigy took on fellow countrywoman Venus in a first-round match at the All England Club on Monday, winning 6-4, 6-4. This was Cori’s first grand-slam debut.

“Honestly, I don’t really know how to feel,” she said after she won, according to The Guardian. “This was definitely the first time I ever cried after winning a match. I don’t even know how to explain how I feel. I had to tell myself to stay calm. I’d never played on a court so big; I had to remind myself that the lines are the same size.”

Venus, 39, is a Wimbledon veteran with five championships to her name, and several more titles as runner-up.

Although Cori is newer to the tennis scene than Venus, she is no stranger to tennis success. She reached the quarterfinals in Wimbledon’s junior tournament last year, and won the French Open girl’s championship at 14 years old. Her current singles ranking is 299, according to the Women's Tennis Association.

A Florida native, Cori has been labeled the "the biggest tennis star of her generation" by CNN, and told the outlet that qualifying for the world-famous match was "kind of normal" and that she wasn’t aware she had set a record until much later.

“I’m just happy to be playing [Venus Williams], and [my dad] told me to get ready because the ball’s going to be coming back fast,” she told CNN prior to the match. Cori also revealed that prior to qualifying for Wimbledon, she had taken a science test at 11 p.m. the night before, because as important as her career as a tennis star is, she still has to balance and prioritize her education. She is a teenager, after all.