Coco Gauff vowed to channel the frustration she felt after losing to Sofia Kenin in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday into improving her game as she continues her quest for a grand slam breakthrough.

The resurgent Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open but had to come through qualifying to face the seventh-seeded Gauff, was the more confident of the pair of Americans, dictating play and pushing the teenager around the court at the All England Club.

“Right now I’m very frustrated and disappointed,” Gauff said after losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, her first-ever opening round defeat at the grass court major.

“So, yeah, I think it makes me want to work even harder. I feel like I have been working hard, but clearly it’s not enough. I have to go back to the drawing board and see where I need to improve and how to do the right drills to do that.”

Opponents have targeted Gauff’s vulnerable forehand and she said she knows that shot needs work.

“Obviously my forehand,” she said. “Being more aggressive on those shots. I think I made too many errors on my forehand and backhand today.”

She also needs to do a better job of taking the fight to her opponent, she said. “I didn’t really put too much pressure on her,” she said.

Reuters