WTA standouts hit grass running in Wimbledon debuts

Just imagine, being a young player who earned a spot in the draw at the grandest event of them all, Wimbledon. After getting over the wonder that comes with just being part of the tournament, there’s still tennis to be played. Here’s a look at some of the women over the years who defied the odds and went on to have an extended stay at the All England Club. (Photos: Getty Images)

1

Coco Gauff

The youngest player to qualify at Wimbledon in the Open Era, Coco Gauff faced five-time champion Venus Williams and shocked the veteran in a contest that bore resemblance to Roger Federer’s win over Pete Sampras nearly two decades earlier. Instead of suffering a letdown after such a monumental win, Gauff—only 15—battled on to the round of 16, where she faced the eventual tournament champion Simona Halep. Though her run ended in a straight-set defeat, she handled herself with the poise of a veteran that expected to get that far.

2

The Class of ‘99

Lindsay Davenport won the title at the 1999 edition of the tournament, defeating Steffi Graf in the final. However, a lot of the talk around the tournament was centered around a trio of teenagers who made their way into the second week in their Wimbledon debuts. In the first round, 16-year-old qualifier Jelena Dokic—ranked 129 in the world—shocked world No. 1 Martina Hingis in the first round, then went on to reach the quarterfinals. There, she fell to 19-year-old American Alexandra Stevenson, who became the first female qualifier to advance that far in the Open era. Kim Clijsters, who just turned 16 and had battled through the qualies, too, made it to the fourth round before falling to Graf.

3

Maria Sharapova

A year after reaching the finals of the junior events at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Maria Sharapova hit the pro circuit full on in 2003. Having battled through the qualifying rounds at the Australian and French Opens, she was granted a wild card for Wimbledon and came into the tournament on the heels of a semifinal appearance in Birmingham. The 16-year-old Russian didn’t drop a set through her first three matches as she beat two seeded players on her way to the fourth round.

4

Agnieszka Radwanska

Unseeded at the 2005 Wimbledon junior tournament, which included four future members of the WTA Top 10 among the seeds, Agnieszka Radwanska won the title, only dropping one set along the way. A year later, fresh off her second junior Grand Slam victory at the French Open, the 17-year-old from Poland was given a wild card to the senior Wimbledon draw. Beating her former junior rival Victoria Azarenka in the first round, Radwanska won two more matches before falling to Clijsters, the world No. 2 who had a similar run at her first Wimbledon.