Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat her fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Tuesday, overcoming an error-strewn start to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time.
After appearing on course for defeat against the in-form fourth seed with four double faults and 17 unforced errors in the opening set, Gauff raised the level of her groundstrokes, producing just three more double faults and only 15 unforced errors across the final two sets.
It was another comeback to add to an impressive Wimbledon run. Having been taken to three sets in each of her previous three matches, Gauff is now the highest seed remaining in the women’s singles draw and will face Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.
Wimbledon was where a 15‑year‑old Gauff first captivated the sporting world by beating Venus Williams in 2019. Seven years later, after seasons of frustration on grass, she has finally broken through to her first semi-final at SW19, having not won a match on grass in two years before the tournament.
“I spoke about this at the start of the tournament, that seeing [Iga Swiatek] win [last year] gave me more belief,” Gauff said. “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.”
Pegula arrived having reached at least the quarter-finals in all but two tournaments this season and enjoying the best grass-court campaign of her career. The fourth seed had dropped just one set en route to the last eight and held a 5-3 advantage in the pair’s head-to-head, including victory at the WTA Finals last year.
On Centre Court, a pair of double faults from Gauff gifted Pegula an immediate break before the fourth seed settled into her rhythm with typically clean ball-striking. While Gauff sprayed forehands long and struggled to find consistency, Pegula remained calm, absorbing pressure before punishing anything short with flat, penetrating groundstrokes.
Although Gauff briefly levelled the set by breaking back at 3-3, another double fault handed Pegula the initiative once more and she served out the opener with authority as Gauff’s tally of unforced errors told its own story.
Facing two break points in the opening game of the second set, Gauff somehow escaped through sheer athleticism, chasing down seemingly impossible balls before producing a stunning backhand winner down the line. Her serve began to settle gradually and she started dictating play with the heavy topspin that had been missing during the opening set.
Pegula still created chances. At 1-1 she weathered a sustained storm to hold, while Gauff repeatedly found herself under scoreboard pressure. But at 5-3, a blistering forehand return earned Gauff three break points before Pegula’s first double fault of the afternoon arrived at the worst possible time for her, handing over the break. Moments later, Gauff served out the set with an ace down the middle, roaring in celebration as Centre Court erupted.
Pegula threatened immediately in the decider, creating break‑point opportunities in the opening exchanges, but Gauff held firm before striking first herself. An exquisite lob volley set up two break points and, when Pegula’s forehand drifted wide, Gauff had the first lead of the afternoon. The 22-year-old finished with seven aces and played increasingly front-foot tennis, stepping inside the baseline to dictate rallies rather than simply react to them. Her forehand, criticised throughout the first week, became progressively heavier, while her improved racket-head speed allowed her to control exchanges.
Serving for the match at 5-3, there was no repeat of the uncertainty that had plagued Gauff’s opening set and she closed out the match with a fourth consecutive three-set victory at the Championships this year.
“In the first set I was rushing out of some points too early,” Gauff said. “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.”
“Kudos to her,” Pegula said. “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.”
