Coco Gauff rallied after dropping the opening set to triumph over fellow American Jessica Pegula, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday. This victory marks Gauff’s first appearance in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Initially, Gauff struggled, committing four double faults and accumulating 17 unforced errors in the first set. However, she improved her performance significantly, finishing the match with only three additional double faults and 15 unforced errors in the subsequent sets.
Gauff’s path to the semifinals has been marked by resilience, as she faced three set-deciding matches in her prior encounters. Now the highest seed remaining in the women’s singles draw, she is set to compete against Karolina Muchova for a chance to reach the final.
Wimbledon has been a pivotal stage for Gauff, who first garnered attention as a 15-year-old by defeating Venus Williams in 2019. After a series of challenges on grass, she has finally reached this milestone, especially noteworthy given that she had not won a grass match in two years prior to this tournament.
“I spoke about this at the start of the tournament, that seeing [Iga Swiatek] win [last year] gave me more belief,” Gauff stated. “Because we do have similar game styles, especially on the forehand wing. “In the past there’s commentary on my game, how it doesn’t mesh with this surface. This is the first year I’ve had a real training block on grass. I was able to get a weekend before Berlin, really able to focus on footwork, how I wanted to play, take time to break it down. Even though I lost early in Berlin, I still had the whole week here to spend a lot of time on the court and on footwork and specifics, which is completely different to clay.”
Gauff continued, “In the first set I was rushing out of some points too early,”
Pegula entered the match with a strong record, having reached at least the quarter-finals in nearly every tournament this season and enjoying her best grass-court campaign yet. The fourth seed had dropped only one set leading up to this point and held a 5-3 advantage in their previous encounters, including a win at the WTA Finals last year.
On Centre Court, Gauff’s initial double faults gave Pegula an early break, allowing the fourth seed to find her rhythm with precise ball-striking. While Gauff struggled with consistency, Pegula maintained composure, capitalizing on any opportunities with powerful groundstrokes.
Despite Gauff’s efforts to break back and level the score at 3-3 in the first set, another double fault shifted momentum back to Pegula, who served out the first set decisively as Gauff’s unforced errors mounted.
In the second set, Gauff faced break points but displayed remarkable athleticism to escape, hitting a stunning backhand winner down the line. As her serve began to stabilize, Gauff started to take control of the match with her heavy topspin.
Pegula continued to create opportunities, but Gauff managed to hold her serve under pressure. At 5-3, Gauff seized her moment by breaking Pegula, who made her first double fault at a critical juncture. Gauff then served out the set with an ace, celebrating as the crowd in Centre Court erupted.
In the deciding set, Pegula quickly posed a threat, earning break-point chances early on. However, Gauff held strong and soon took the lead herself, executing an elegant lob volley that resulted in two break points. When Pegula’s forehand went wide, Gauff found herself in front for the first time.
The 22-year-old finished the match with seven aces, demonstrating a commanding presence as she began to dictate the rallies rather than merely react. Her forehand, which had faced criticism earlier in the tournament, improved significantly as she gained momentum.
When serving for the match at 5-3, Gauff displayed confidence rather than the uncertainty that plagued her earlier in the contest, ultimately achieving her fourth consecutive three-set victory at this year’s Championships.
“Either trying to get out of the rally or overhit too much. Towards the end, I just really homed in on my game and realised I don’t have to play a spectacular point every time to win, even though there were some spectacular points.” Gauff reflected. “She made me feel uncomfortable. I started off returning really well and put a lot of pressure on her serve right from the beginning. Then it just kind of flipped.”
“Kudos to her,” Pegula acknowledged. “She made me feel uncomfortable. I started off returning really well and put a lot of pressure on her serve right from the beginning. Then it just kind of flipped.”
