The tennis world witnessed history repeat itself at Wimbledon 2025 when Coco Gauff, dressed in an iconic New Balance outfit, dropped her earring during her shocking first-round defeat to Dayana Yastremska. In a moment that echoed Chris Evert’s famous 1978 bracelet incident, Yastremska found Gauff’s earring on the grass court and put it on a chair during the match.
The Earring Moment From Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon First Round Match
World No. 2 Gauff’s Wimbledon dream came to an abrupt end on Tuesday night when she suffered a shocking 7-6 (3), 6-1 defeat to Ukraine’s Yastremska on Court 1. A small jewelry moment during the match captured the attention of everyone around the world and created a connection to tennis history. At 7-6 (3), 3-1 in the second set, a confused Yastremska was spotted holding an earring she found on the grass.
Gauff, unaware that she was missing one earring, was initially surprised but soon clarified that it was indeed hers. Her opponent promptly placed the accessory on Gauff’s bench moments before she staged what was one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
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The American star, fresh from her French Open triumph just weeks earlier, struggled from the start on the slippery grass surface under the closed roof. She committed 29 unforced errors and served nine double faults, managing just six winners throughout the match. Gauff later admitted she felt “mentally overwhelmed” following her Paris victory and couldn’t find her rhythm against the determined Ukrainian.
This defeat made Gauff just the third woman in the Open Era to lose in the first round at Wimbledon immediately after winning the French Open, joining Justine Henin (2005) and Francesca Schiavone (2010).
For the world number 42, Yastremska, it was the biggest win of her career and her first victory against Gauff in four meetings.
The Tennis Bracelet Moment Involving Chris Evert
The earring incident brought back memories of tennis legend Evert’s famous 1978 US Open moment that gave birth to the term “tennis bracelet.” She never expected the term would last, saying, “I had no idea it would become such a thing.”
During an early round match that year, Evert’s diamond bracelet broke and fell onto the court, causing play to be halted while she searched for it. After the match, when asked about the delay, Evert referred to it as her “tennis bracelet,” and the name stuck forever.
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Evert’s bracelet incident occurred in 1978 when the US Open moved from Forest Hills to Flushing Meadows. This moment transformed how people viewed jewelry in sports, making diamonds an everyday accessory even during athletic competition.
Before Evert’s incident, diamond line bracelets were simply called “eternity bracelets” or “line bracelets,” but her televised jewelry mishap during the disco era helped popularize the tennis bracelet name and style.
