LONDON — Wimbledon used to be the one tournament that gave Coco Gauff trouble. That may no longer be the case.
On Tuesday, Gauff knocked out fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court, punching her ticket to the semi-finals at Wimbledon for the very first time. The world number seven — now the highest-ranked player left in the women’s draw — called it a major turning point in her relationship with grass-court tennis.
Before this tournament, Gauff had never made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. It was the only Grand Slam where the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 French Open champion had not reached at least the quarter-finals. Her path to the semis was not easy either — she was pushed to three sets in four of her last four matches — but she proved she can compete on any surface.
“It feels really special considering the results I’ve had of late and just especially on this surface,” said Gauff, who will next face Karolina Muchova with a spot in Saturday’s final on the line.
“I’m able to relax a bit because, I feel regardless of how the rest of this tournament goes, I really think I’ve found a bit of a breakthrough on grass. Obviously I’m not satisfied. I want to go all the way.”
Gauff admitted she would have laughed off any suggestion she’d reach the semi-finals this year, especially given her recent struggles — including an early exit in Berlin — and back-to-back first-round losses at Wimbledon in 2023 and last year. She reached the fourth round in 2024, the third round in 2022, and the last 16 in both 2019 and 2021. Her 2019 run was particularly memorable, as she arrived as a 15-year-old qualifier and defeated Venus Williams in the opening round.
When the match ended Tuesday and Pegula’s final return hit the net, cameras caught Gauff turning to her team in the stands and mouthing in disbelief: “Oh my God, how?”
“In the past there’s commentary on my game, how maybe it doesn’t mesh with this surface, things like that,” she said. “I think just trusting myself, trusting that my groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface. I think my last match against Belinda showed that. Obviously today against Jess I think showed that, as well.”
Gauff said the nerves settled after her match against Belinda Bencic, and she has carried that calm confidence forward. Known for her deep faith, Gauff was also asked whether she believes destiny plays a role in her Wimbledon journey.
“I do feel like in a way the story is already written. But is Wimbledon part of my story? I don’t know. I can’t tell you,” she said. “If you asked me seven days ago, the answer would have been no. Honestly, I was writing it off a little bit.”
“But I hope it is part of my destiny, whether it’s this year or in the future. I definitely would love to see my name on the champions wall, for sure.”
