But she wasn’t finished with her charm offensive. At the net, Gauff showed just the right, respectful touch by leaning over to her legendary opponent and saying, “Thank you for what you did, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
After grabbing the torch from Venus, and defeating Magdalena Rybarikova in straight sets, Gauff moved into Centre Court, where she thrilled another packed house by making a seemingly impossible comeback against Polona Hercog from a set and 2-5 down. It took the eventual champion, Simona Halep, to end the teen’s storybook run in the fourth round. But from first ball to last, Gauff showed a grown-up ability to choose the right shot at the right time, to balance aggression with margin, and caution with creativity. She played to win rather to impress.
“I think I can beat anyone who’s across the court,” Gauff said that week, in one of the rare comments when she didn’t crack a smile. “If I don’t think I can win a match, I don’t step on the court.”