LONDON — American tennis star Coco Gauff is headed to her first-ever Wimbledon semifinal after rallying from a set down to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday at the All England Club.
The victory marks a major milestone for Gauff, who had never advanced beyond the fourth round in her previous six appearances at Wimbledon. After dropping the opening set in an error-filled start that included four double faults and 17 unforced errors, the 22-year-old settled into the match and showcased the resilience that has defined her tournament run.
Gauff dramatically cut down on her mistakes over the final two sets, producing just three additional double faults and 15 unforced errors while taking control from the baseline to complete the comeback in just under two hours.
The win also makes Gauff the youngest player to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments since Maria Sharapova accomplished the feat in 2007.
Speaking during her on-court interview, Gauff said she never lost confidence despite falling behind early. Having already battled through three consecutive three-set matches against Solana Sierra, Clare Liu and Belinda Bencic, she believed she had the experience and composure to turn the match around once again.
The breakthrough is especially meaningful considering Wimbledon was the tournament where Gauff first captured the world’s attention as a 15-year-old in 2019 with her stunning upset of Venus Williams. After years of frustration on grass—including entering this year’s tournament without a grass-court victory in two seasons—Gauff has now reached the final four at the sport’s most prestigious event.
Now the highest remaining seed in the women’s singles draw, Gauff will face Karolína Muchová in Thursday’s semifinal, with a place in Saturday’s Wimbledon championship match on the line.
With another comeback victory under her belt, Gauff continues to prove why she is one of the brightest stars in tennis—and now stands just one win away from her first Wimbledon final.
