LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff is no stranger to making the fourth round at Wimbledon. She went that far as a 15-year-old newcomer playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in 2019, and then again on her next appearance in 2021.
She's never been to the quarterfinals at the All England Club, though, and will get a third crack at it after beating British qualifier Sonay Kartal 6-4, 6-0 in the third round on Friday.
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LONDON (AP) — Coco Gauff is no stranger to making the fourth round at Wimbledon. She went that far as a 15-year-old newcomer playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in 2019, and then again on her next appearance in 2021.
Donna Vekic of Croatia plays a backhand return to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Emma Raducanu of Britain reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Sonay Kartal of Britain plays a backhand return to Coco Gauff of the United States during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts after winning g a point against Sonay Kartal of Britain during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States plays a backhand return to Sonay Kartal of Britain during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States is congratulated by Sonay Kartal, right, of Britain following their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates after defeating Sonay Kartal of Britain in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
But for someone who played in two Grand Slam finals before turning 20 — winning one of them, at last year's U.S. Open — just getting to the quarterfinals, even at Wimbledon, isn't much of a goal.
“I feel like at this point, it feels as if losing in the fourth (round) or the quarterfinals feels the same in a way, just because I do have such big aspirations,” said Gauff, who also reached the semifinals at both the Australian Open and French Open this year. “I feel like it sucks to say this, but once you win, you kind of take it for granted. I try not to, obviously. When you make a lot of quarterfinals in Slams, in general it just makes you want to make it to a semifinal. You make a couple semifinals, you want to make the final.”
Gauff is one of two former U.S. Open champions who are looking to get past the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time. Emma Raducanu is back into the second week for the first time since her debut as an 18-year-old in 2021, when she had to retire with breathing problems in the second set against Ajla Tomljanovic and later said the moment had “caught up” with her.
After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, the British home favorite is playing some of her best tennis since winning the 2021 U.S. Open title as a qualifier, and beat No. 9-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court.
And any discomfort with playing in front of a home crowd with huge expectations seems to have gone away.
“Today was really up there with the most fun I’ve had on a tennis court,” Raducanu said. "I really enjoyed every single moment. I think I was just telling myself, how many times in your life are you going to get the opportunity to play in front of a full Centre Court?”
Gauff has also been a crowd favorite at Wimbledon ever since she burst onto the grass by beating Venus Williams in the first round in 2019.
So it was a slightly strange feeling for the American to know that a large section of the crowd would be rooting against her on Friday. That's because she was going up against Kartal, a British qualifier who had exceeded expectations just by making the third round.
“I think this is my first time ever playing a British player here, so I was a little bit nervous honestly, going in," Gauff told the crowd after her win on No. 1 Court. “Because I knew you guys would be for her. Which is totally understandable.”
Gauff will play another American next in Emma Navarro, who she beat in straight sets in Auckland in January. Navarro is making only her second appearance at Wimbledon, having lost in the first round last year, but also made the fourth round at the French Open in June.
“I think when I played her at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t necessarily ready for that challenge,” Navarro said of Gauff. “I know I have the level inside of me that can beat a player like her. It’s maybe just a matter of doing it on a bigger stage.”
Other women to advance to the round of 16 included Madison Keys, Paula Badosa, Donna Vekic and French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini.
Raducanu, who is also playing mixed doubles with Andy Murray, will next face qualifier Lulu Sun, who became the first woman from New Zealand to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon in the Open era.
Sun has a lot in common with Raducanu. Both have Chinese heritage on their mother's side, and Sun has also managed to make it far in a Grand Slam as a qualifier.
“Qualifiers are actually sometimes more dangerous,” Raducanu said. “I’m really up for a battle, though.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Jasmine Paolini of Italyplays a backhand return to Bianca Andreescu of Canada during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Donna Vekic of Croatia plays a backhand return to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Emma Raducanu of Britain reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Emma Raducanu of Britain reacts after defeating Maria Sakkari of Greece in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Sonay Kartal of Britain plays a backhand return to Coco Gauff of the United States during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States reacts after winning g a point against Sonay Kartal of Britain during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States plays a backhand return to Sonay Kartal of Britain during their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States is congratulated by Sonay Kartal, right, of Britain following their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Coco Gauff of the United States celebrates after defeating Sonay Kartal of Britain in their third round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the union stronghold of Flint, Michigan, on Friday as she battles with Donald Trump for working-class voters who could tip the scales in this year’s election.
Her appearance in the battleground state comes the day after U.S. dockworkers suspended their strike in hopes of reaching a new contract, sparing the country a damaging episode of labor unrest that could have rattled the economy.
Meanwhile, Trump is heading to Georgia to appear with Gov. Brian Kemp, the latest sign that he’s patched up his rocky relationship with the top Republican in a key battleground state.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest:
MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge has ordered a small town in northern Wisconsin to offer disabled people accessible voting systems.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Rusk County towns of Thornapple and Lawrence on Sept. 20 alleging that neither town had accessible voting systems for disabled people as required under federal law. Officials in both towns decided in 2023 to go to paper ballots only.
The lawsuit alleged that neither town had voting systems that disabled people could access as required under federal law for this year’s presidential primary on April 2 or for the Aug. 13 primary. Thornapple’s population is around 700 people and Lawrence is about 6,300 people.
U.S. District Judge James Peterson issued a preliminary injunction Friday that requires Thornapple officials to make sure every polling place in the Nov. 5 election has a voting system that disabled people can access. The systems must be plugged in, turned on and readily visible to voters, according to the order. The town also must post signs in every polling place alerting voters that the systems are ready for use.
The town’s attorney, Eric McLeod, didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment late Friday afternoon.
The Justice Department reached a settlement with Lawrence on Sept. 27 that calls for the town to make an accessible voting machine available at every polling place it operates in future federal elections and train staff on how to operate the equipment.
EVANS, Ga. — Former President Donald Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp cemented their newfound alliance Friday in Georgia as they both praised citizens and first responders in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Trump and Kemp appeared in front of paper products, diapers and other relief supplies as they addressed reporters outside Augusta.
Trump, the 2024 GOP presidential nominee, said Kemp is doing a “fantastic job.” The GOP nominee again repeated his false assertions that President Joe Biden’s administration has not led a routine federal disaster response.
Trump mentioned the “big election” coming up and said if he wins Georgia will be treated well as it recovers.
Kemp and Trump spent several years at odds after the governor refused to help Trump overturn Biden’s 2020 victory. But they made up recently as part of Trump’s comeback effort and concerns among Republicans that the rift would help Democratic nominee Vice President Harris win the state.
President Joe Biden said Friday that he was confident the upcoming election would be free and fair - but he’s not sure it will be peaceful.
Biden made a surprise appearance in the White House press briefing room to discuss the strong jobs report that he called “incredible news,” and he took some questions. He was asked about how he was feeling about the upcoming election.
“I’m confident it will be free and fair. I don’t know whether it will be peaceful,” he said. “The things that Trump has said - and the the things that he said last time, when he didn’t like the outcome of the election -- were very dangerous.”
Trump still falsely claims the 2020 election was stolen.
Biden was also asked, as he left the room, whether he was going to reconsider running for president.
“I’m back in” he joked, and the reporters all laughed.
Election experts during a virtual panel held by the National Task Force on Election Crises on Friday acknowledged that western North Carolina officials are still in the early phases of assessing how hurricane damage will affect voting.
The process has been delayed with bridges and roads compromised and emergency crews still actively working to rescue stranded residents and provide people with basic supplies, said Robert Orr, a retired North Carolina Supreme Court Justice who co-leads the North Carolina Network for Fair, Safe and Secure Elections.
Paying for last-minute election changes could pose a challenge, Orr said. Most North Carolina election funding happens locally, and most county election budgets are already diminished because they had to reprint ballots to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name, he said.
Most North Carolina residents are still focused on basic survival and recovery over voting, said Anne Tindall, special counsel of the nonprofit Protect Democracy.
Four people intentionally voted twice in Michigan’s summer primary election, the state attorney general said Friday as she announced felony charges against the suburban Detroit residents as well as public employees accused of enabling it to happen.
Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges against the St. Clair Shores residents as well as three assistant clerks who are accused of enabling it to happen. Nessel called it “shocking and simply unheard of.” Nessel said four people who had already cast absentee ballots for the Aug. 6 primary showed up to vote in St. Clair Shores on the day of the election.
It’s possible to cancel an absentee ballot but not on Election Day.
The extra votes did not affect race results, she said.
Casey and Biden are allies and friends. Biden hasn’t done much campaigning since he left the 2024 race over the summer and Vice President Kamala Harris replaced him at the top of the ticket.
The president will also travel to Wisconsin where he’ll talk about efforts by his administration to replace lead pipes. That’s something Biden has continued to do — talk publicly about his administration’s successes and his record in office. He has told his team to “run through the tape.”
Elon Musk will join Donald Trump at his rally Saturday in Butler, the Pennsylvania city where the Republican presidential nominee survived an assassination attempt earlier this year.
“I will be there to support!” Musk wrote on his social platform X on Thursday in a retweet of Trump’s own promotion of the rally. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO will be among special guests in attendance, Trump’s campaign confirmed Friday.
The event will mark the first time the billionaire businessman appears publicly at a campaign event for the former president since endorsing him. Musk has supercharged his support for Trump in recent months and has become personally more invested in politics — even agreeing to lead a government efficiency commission if Trump wins reelection.
Saturday’s rally will take place at the same property where a gunman’s bullets grazed Trump’s right ear and killed his supporter, Corey Comperatore. The shooting left multiple others injured.
The Democratic presidential nominee has already been to Georgia, where she helped distribute meals and spoke with families in Augusta. More than 200 people died in the powerful storm that spread out across the Southeast, causing devastation. President Joe Biden, too, has traveled to areas hard-hit by the storm.
From Georgia, Harris said she and Biden have been paying attention “from the beginning to what we need to do to make sure the federal resources hit the ground as quickly as possible, and that includes what was necessary to make sure that we provided direct federal assistance. And that work has been happening.”
Their travel comes as Republican Donald Trump is falsely claiming the federal government wasn't doing enough to help affected people in Republican areas. Biden was angered by the suggestion, calling it a lie. He said partisan politics should not be part of this conversation.
Former President Barack Obama is planning to hit key swing states to boost Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House, starting on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
The Harris campaign says Obama will travel around the country over the final 27 days ahead of the election. It noted that the former president and Harris have a friendship that goes back 20 years, from when they first met while he was running for Senate.
Harris was also an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential bid and knocked on doors for him in Iowa ahead of its caucus that led off voting in the Democratic primary.
In his speech at the Democratic convention in August, Obama said Harris “wasn’t born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got.”
“And she actually cares about what other people are going through,” the former president added then.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump dances at a campaign event at the Ryder Center at Saginaw Valley State University, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in University Center, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris waves as she arrives on Air Force Two at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Mich., Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
