Seventh-seeded American Coco Gauff kept her Wimbledon title hopes alive Thursday, defeating compatriot Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-2 in the third round to advance to the fourth round and equal her best-ever showing at the prestigious grass-court tournament.
The 22-year-old, who holds both the U.S. Open and French Open titles, had a rough outing at Wimbledon last year when she was eliminated in her very first match. This time around, she came in looking to prove herself on grass, and initially looked well on her way to a comfortable win against Liu.
Gauff cruised through the first set with ease, but world number 146 Liu — competing as a qualifier — refused to go quietly. Liu saved three match points in the second set and forced a tiebreak as evening shadows fell over Court One. Gauff’s passive play in the tiebreak allowed Liu to take it and even the match at one set each.
Despite the setback, Gauff came out focused in the deciding third set, breaking Liu’s serve in the very first game with a well-placed deep backhand that drew an error. From there, she built a commanding 5-2 lead and closed out the match.
Speaking in her on-court interview afterward, Gauff was candid about her performance. “I think I’m not playing my best tennis,” she said, though she acknowledged some bright spots. “I think today I served well as I did in my last match, I held when I needed to. I definitely feel more confident.”
She also reflected on squandering match points in the second set. “Yeah, I’m just happy to get through. I had some opportunities to close it out in the second set, but I’m glad I didn’t let that derail me and was able to come out with a win today.”
Gauff added that she took something away from the close call. “I felt better today. I think Claire stepped up her level and I definitely had my opportunities with some of those match points, but it’s only experiences that you can learn from.”
Up next for Gauff is a fourth-round matchup against Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic. “The opponents I’ve played have been high level players and good grasscourt players. Belinda will be the same,” Gauff said. “It’ll be a tough one.”
