Teenager Gauff digs deep to continue dream run at Wimbledon

By Clare Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) – 15-year-old Cori Gauff clawed back a set to lead 5-2 and saved two match points to beat Slovenia's Polona Hercog 3-6 7-6 (7) 7-5 on Friday and reach the fourth Wimbledon tour.

The American teenager, ranked 313th in the world, earned a match on Center Court after capturing the public imagination with her giant feats, including knocking out former champion Venus Williams in the first round.

Gauff, who beat former semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova in the second round, was criticized by the crowd but initially struggled to deal with the 28-year-old Hercog's groundstrokes and big serve.

However, she showed remarkable composure to fight back against the Slovenian, 60th, who failed to convert two match points in the second set.

“I always knew I could come back no matter what the score was, I just took my shots,” Gauff, nicknamed Coco, said after leaving the field to warm applause.

“The crowd was amazing. Even when I was late, they were still cheering me on.”

Hercog needed treatment on her back after the second set and fell to 4-1 in the third, but she too fought back in the tense duel.

“I’m relieved it’s over – she was playing incredibly well,” Gauff said.

Hercog fired a shot into the net in the final match and another went long under pressure from Gauff before the teenager jumped in the air to celebrate her victory to the applause of her proud parents from the players' stand .

Gauff is the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon in the Open era and the youngest to reach the fourth round since American Jennifer Capriati, also 15, in 1991.

She faces seventh seed Simona Halep, former world number one, in the round of 16.

(Reporting by Clare Lovell, editing by Ed Osmond)