What were you doing when you were 15 years old?

Most of us would be preparing for exams of some kind, the important kind, the kind everyone said would have an impact on our future.

Cori Gauff is also preparing for exams, she gave a high school science test remotely during qualifying. But the 15-year-old from America is showing us the future simultaneously, with her impressive run at Wimbledon.

If we thought that her confident win in the generational clash with 39-year-old Venus Williams was a sign, her second-round win was somehow even more striking.

Against 2017 semi-finalist Magdalena Rybarikova, the teenager showed no signs of nerves on Court 1. She wrapped up the match in just about 70 minutes, winning 6-3, 6-3.

But it isn’t the straight sets margin or the fact that she is the youngest player to make the third round since Jennifer Capriati in 1991 that has everyone who was watching her going gaga. Rather, it is the ability to hit the ball cleanly and play smart tennis while looking at home on her Wimbledon debut that has impressed everyone.

The athlete’s ball-striking is already commendable, but her composure is standing out as much as her game. After the hype of her first-round win, there was always a chance of a brief derailment with all the attention. But she didn’t lose focus and played a very measured game; a measured game that showed maturity beyond her age.

The youngest Wimbledon qualifier in the Open Era, she has yet to drop a set at the tournament having played five matches, including the three in qualifying. In her two matches in the main draw, she has been broken just once – by Venus – and committed only 18 unforced errors.

Daughter of two athletes – Father Corey Gauff played college basketball at Georgia State while mother Candi was in the track team at Florida State – she appeared supremely relaxed on court under the roof. The one addition to her box in the second round was Patrick Mouratoglou, the long-time coach of Serena Williams, who has been working with her since she was 11. He had refrained from showing up in the first match.

If the match against Venus was about dealing with the nerves and serves against her idol, the one against 30-year-old Rybarikova was a test of her agility and match awareness. The Slovakian player, who knocked out the big-hitting 10th seed Aryna Sabalenka in the last round, has an all-round variety game and can come at you from all over the court.

But the teen seemed to be in control of whatever was thrown at her, from whichever angle.

Play

She had 10 unforced errors to her opponents 23 and served her way out at every sign of trouble, facing no break point through the match. After racing through the first set with a single break of serve, when the game went to deuce at 2-1 in the second set, she came up with a body serve and a then came the first loud” come on” when she cracked a winner on the line.

At 1-3, 15-40 down, Rybarikova managed a good hold that could have given her a boost and thrown her much younger opponent off . But when the next game went to deuce, Gauff came up with an ace and great play to hold, riding the wave like a pro.

Two aspects of her game, the serve – she won 85% on the first serve – and the down-the-line winners can be very effective on grass.

The 15-year-old had cried after beating Venus as the veteran congratulated her. For someone who looked up the Williams sisters growing up, it must have been an overwhelming moment. But a day later, she broke into a smile as she sealed the match; it was as if she wasn’t surprised anymore.

The key, she says, is the mindset the first win gave her.

“I think it wasn’t so much that my tennis improved, it was more my mindset. Because my mindset improved, my tennis definitely changed. I don’t think it was so much how many balls I hit in practice. It was more off-court thinking how can I improve myself and improve the way I act on the court,” she said after the match.

The expectations from her were already sky high and she backed them up with the second round win. Next up for Gauff is a clash against world No 60 Polona Hercog on Friday. The Slovenian knocked out 17th seed Madison Keys with her own versatile style.

But with Gauff’s attacking style and unfazed mindset, she will back herself to have a good chance to go even further on debut.