American tennis star Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and book her place in the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career.
The hard-fought contest lasted one hour and 48 minutes, with Gauff producing another impressive comeback after dropping the opening set. The victory also marked her fourth consecutive three-set match during this year’s tournament.
With the win, the two-time Grand Slam champion became the seventh active player to reach the semifinals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments, joining elite names such as Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Karolína Plíšková, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek.
Gauff admitted she was pleased with her performance, especially after arriving at Wimbledon on a four-match losing streak on grass. She also overcame a set deficit in the previous round against Belinda Bencic before continuing her impressive run.
She will now face 10th seed Karolína Muchová in the semifinals, taking a dominant 6-1 head-to-head record into their first-ever meeting on grass.
Pegula made the brighter start, recovering from 40-0 down to break Gauff’s opening service game before taking the first set. However, Gauff gradually settled into the match, improving her consistency from the baseline and winning the closing stages of both the second and third sets to complete the turnaround.
The defeat was particularly frustrating for Pegula, who entered the quarterfinals as the highest-ranked player remaining in the women’s singles draw. She created several break-point opportunities throughout the match but was unable to convert enough of them as Gauff raised her level.
Pegula later admitted she regretted some tactical decisions, including her serving strategy and shot selection, believing she could have varied her approach more as the match progressed.
The result leaves Pegula with a 3-7 record in Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances, while Gauff moves one step closer to reaching a fourth Grand Slam singles final.
