07/05/26 06:41:00
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07/05 18:37 CDT Coco Gauff's buzzer-beater at Wimbledon reminds her of Kawhi
Leonard's shot
Coco Gauff's buzzer-beater at Wimbledon reminds her of Kawhi Leonard's shot
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
LONDON (AP) --- There's not usually a clock ticking down in tennis.
Yet for Coco Gauff at Wimbledon on Sunday, the All England Club's 11 p.m.
curfew made it seem like there was.
And Gauff hit the winning shot at the buzzer.
Two minutes before 11, Gauff converted her first match point with a service
winner out wide to reach the quarterfinals at the grass-court Grand Slam for
the first time.
After beating Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, Gauff tapped her left wrist with
the fingers on her right hand to acknowledge the timely ending.
Gauff said it "kind of reminded me of" Kawhi Leonard's shot for the Toronto
Raptors in 2019 that bounced off the rim four times before becoming the first
Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history.
Because if Gauff hadn't ended it in that game, the match would have been
suspended until Monday.
"I was looking at the clock the last service game," she said. "I was like, ?I
got to hit some big serves and some big shots.' And honestly, that match point,
I was going for a serve and volley because I was like, 'I need to end the
point.'
"That was probably the most dramatic finish. I've never had to race against
time. Playing tennis we're used to not having a clock. But honestly, today I
felt the pressure. ... Glad I didn't choose basketball."
Gauff did play basketball as a kid. But, she said, "I did not hit any
buzzer-beaters."
Gauff had reached the fourth round four times in her Wimbledon career --
including during her breakthrough run as a 15-year-old in 2019. Now, for the
first time, she's gone one step further.
"I'm definitely hungry for more," Gauff said. "But it's a great accomplishment."
Gauff's quarterfinal opponent will be fellow American and occasional doubles
partner Jessica Pegula, who beat Iva Jovic --- another American --- 4-6, 6-3,
6-1.
"It will be the third flat hitter I've played in a row," Gauff said. "The last
two matches I've had definitely gave me prep for her."
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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