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PICTURED: Coco 'Cori' Gauff

CORI ‘COCO’ Gauff, the teenage Wimbledon darling, stormed into the main draw of Citi Open in Washington D.C. with a resolute triumph over Hiroko Kuwata on Sunday (Jul 28).

The 15-year-old beat Japan's Kuwata and Maegan Manasse to safely navigate the qualifying tournament of the Washington summer classic.

Kuwata, who finished Doubles runner-up at the 2014 Citi Open, was dismissed in a flash by Gauff 6-1 6-2.

Kuwata may have notched seven ITF titles, but is currently languishing outside the world's top 300 and has yet to make her mark on the WTA Tour having failed to make a Grand Slam main draw.

There was a noticeable gulf between the players, Gauff playing with confidence to pick off the points with aplomb and giving Kuwata the runaround.

The opening set was soon wrapped up with unwavering finesse by Gauff. And she was indefatigable in the second set, utilising her array of weaponry to annihilate Kuwata although was slow to nail the victory after steaming into a 5-1 lead.

This is Gauff's third and final wildcard tournament entry, although she can still play in the majors, which she is permitted until she turns 16 in March - due to stringent WTA Tour age regulations.

Gauff shot to fame after she cruised into the last 16 at the All England Club on her Wimbledon debut. As a fearless qualifying wildcard, she became the youngest player to win a singles match at SW19 since 1991, after she dismantled American icon Venus Williams in the 1st round on No.1 Court.

But the talented teenager was stopped in her tracks by eventual champion Simona Halep of Romania on Centre Court, winning over a new legion of fans with her panache and spectacular choice of shots during the Championships.

The Citi Open tournament organisers were swift to jump on the bandwagon as tennis fans clamoured to catch a glimpse of the latest sensation.

Sunday truly was Gauff's day in the limelight. She was busy making new friends, fans and made considerable light work of Kuwata to breeze into the 1st round on Monday (Jul 29).

The world was dazzled the last time Gauff made her way into the main draw as a no nonsense qualifier, and there is little doubt that the whizzkid will be electrifying the crowds at the Citi Open this week if her latest display is an indication of what to expect.

However, the Citi Open will be Gauff's last tournament before she makes her US Open debut at New York's Flushing Meadows next month, so she is determined to get as much practice as possible on the WTA Tour.

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