Coco takes centre stage: 15-year-old tennis wonderkid loses first set on Wimbledon’s main court as she struggles to maintain her fairytale tournament

• Gauff, 15, is in action against Slovenian Polona Hercog, 28, on centre court today
• The youngster has been the talk of the tournament since beating Venus Williams
• She beat Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova, 30, to get through to the third round
• If she wins today she will progress through to  the fourth round of competition   

American schoolgirl Coco Gauff is vying to keep her Wimbledon dream alive, as she battles to stay in the competition after losing the first set.    

The 15-year-old, from Florida in the US, has been the talk of the tournament since she beat her idol Venus Williams, 39, in the first round.

And today she is making her debut on Centre Court as she takes on Solvenian powerhouse Polona Hercog on a hot and sunny day at the All England Club. 

The tattooed 28-year-old won the first set, but Gauff is now fighting to stay in the competition and battling hard to win the second.

Huge cheers erupted from the crowd when the youngster took the set to a tie-break with the two players no locked in a fierce battle.

American schoolgirl Coco Gauff is vying to keep her Wimbledon dream alive, as she battles to stay in the competition after losing the first set

The youngster is being cheered on by her parents (pictured), who have devoutly supported her throughout the competition

Gauff has captured the hearts of spectators with her unexpected rise through the competition, beating both Serena Williams and Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova

Gauff is taking on on Solvenian Polona Hercog, the world number 60. Whoever wins will progress through to the fourth round of the competition

The youngster is being cheered on by her parents, who have devoutly supported her throughout the competition. 

They and the millions of people watching the young tennis sensation will be hoping she’s able to keep her Wimbledon dream alive today.

Gauff has captured the hearts of spectators with her unexpected rise through the competition, beating both Serena Williams and Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova. 

The youngster took up tennis aged seven and became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history at just 15.

Coco Gauff, 15, is making her debut on Centre Court today as she takes on Solvenian Polona Hercog. She has been the talk of the tournament since she beat her idol Venus Williams, 39, in the first round  

Gauff has captured the hearts of spectators with her unexpected rise through the competition, beating both Serena Williams and Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova (pictured in action today)

Gauff is taking on on Solvenian Polona Hercog, the world number 60. Whoever wins will progress through to the fourth round of the competition

Speaking of her second round victory against Rybarikova she said: ‘Over the last few days there’s been so much going on, I’m still shocked I’m still even here.’ 

As a child she moved Delray Beach in Florida for its elite tennis facilities previously used by both Venus and Serena Williams, whom Coco grew up idolising.    

Her father has had a huge impact on her life, travelling the world with her as her coach and inspiring her to use her developing ‘voice’ for change. 

While her mother gave up teaching to home school her daughter to allow her to concentrate on the sport. 

All the hard work is beginning to pay off, with the teenager expected to rake in around £800,000 ($1million) in 2019 through prize money and sponsorship deals. 

But Gauff is trying to stay grounded and said she is a ‘goofy’ girl off-court who likes to make jokes and still laughs when people ask to take pictures of her. 

The youngster took up tennis aged seven and became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history at just 15. She is taking on Solvenian Polona Hercog in the third round today 

Polona Hercog has the upper hand in the game, taking the first set and looking strong in the second

Coco Gauff (left) is making her debut on Centre Court as she takes on Solvenian Polona Hercog (right) on a hot and sunny day at the All England Club

In a post-match interview after defeating Venus, she added: ‘I literally don’t play with any pressure. 

‘I just tell myself whatever happens happens. Everything happens for a reason. I mean, like my motto is just wing it.’

According to the New York Times, Coco is now using her developing profile to raise awareness of issues including violence and child death in Sudan and African-American issues. 

She told the Times: ‘During Black History Month I was posting one random fact that you don’t learn at school a day. Because there’s so many things that I didn’t know if it wasn’t for the internet and social media.’

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