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Coco Gauff qualifies for first tournament since dream Wimbledon run

Yahoo Sport Australia

Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff has qualified for the main draw at the Citi Open in her first tournament since her incredible run at Wimbledon.

Gauff stunned the tennis world after defeating Venus Williams on her way to making the fourth round at SW19 as a 15-year-old.

The run helped Gauff’s ranking move from world No.313 to No.141, but since the 15-year-old can only enter 14 tournaments a year due to the age eligibility rule for the WTA she rested after Wimbledon.

However, Gauff announced she would enter the qualifying rounds for the Citi Open, based in Washington D.C.

Cori Gauff laughs while hitting balls into the crowd after defeating Hiroko Kuwata of Japan during qualifying for the Citi Open at Rock Creek Tennis Center on July 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Cori Gauff laughs while hitting balls into the crowd after defeating Hiroko Kuwata of Japan during qualifying for the Citi Open at Rock Creek Tennis Center on July 28, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

On Sunday, she defeated Japan’s Hiroko Kuwata 6-1, 6-2 in the final round to enter the main draw.

This will be the third WTA main draw the 15-year-old has qualified for in her young career.

WTA age restrictions

The teenager needs to be picky with her tournament selections due to WTA age restrictions.

She is eligible to compete in up to 14 tournaments while she is 15 and is no longer able to accept wild-card entries since she used up all three.

They’ll reset on her 16th birthday in March.

Gauff became a household name during Wimbledon when she upset Venus Williams and made it all the way to the fourth round. Potential competition at the Citi Open includes No. 9 Sloane Stephens and No. 13 Belinda Bencic.