Toby Melville/Reuters
WIMBLEDON, England — Cori Gauff, a 15-year-old American who grew up admiring the Williams sisters, made her Wimbledon debut on Monday by defeating one of the them.
Gauff’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over the five-time singles champion Venus Williams in the first round was remarkable not just for the score line but for the manner with which Gauff managed the moment.
She was unruffled from the start in her first main-draw Grand Slam singles match, responding to the 39-year-old Williams’s baseline power with ample power of her own and maintaining a tight grip on her service games.