Coco Gauff hasn’t had the easiest time at Wimbledon in her career. In Friday’s third-round match against Claire Liu, it looked like Gauff might suffer another early Grand Slam defeat.
However, Gauff managed to bounce back after dropping a set to Liu and pulled out a victory (6-3, 6-7, 6-2) to advance to the fourth round.
Gauff got off to a good start, winning the first set 6-3. However, Liu fought back in the second set, ultimately forcing a tiebreak. The tiebreak was close, but Gauff’s double fault gave Ryu the tiebreak and the set.
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Gauff seemed to settle down after struggling in the tiebreak, winning the first two games of the third set and taking an early lead. However, Liu fought back and took the third game. The pair traded the next two games and kept it close. Determined not to let things get too tense, Gauff won her next two matches, putting herself one game away from victory.
Gauff, who was leading 5-2 in the final set, was able to get a shutout. With this win, she advanced to the fourth round of Wimbledon for the fourth time in her career.
Of all the Grand Slams, Wimbledon proved to be the most difficult for Gauff. The 24-year-old has reached the fourth round four times in this tournament. She hasn’t been able to top that in her past three appearances.
Gauff, who won the US Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025, only needs to win Wimbledon and the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam. She came even closer this year at the Australian Open, reaching the semifinals in 2024. If he can continue to win at Wimbledon, he will aim to match or even best that performance.
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For Ryu, reaching the third round of Wimbledon on Friday was the biggest advance ever at a Grand Slam. The 26-year-old had played in 19 Grand Slams before this year’s Wimbledon, but never advanced beyond the second round in any of them. She fought valiantly on Friday to continue that run, pushing Gauff to a third set, but ultimately lost.
With the win, Gauff will face Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Sunday. The match should be close, as No. 7 Gauff is considered a slight favorite over No. 11 Bencic due to her seeding.
But it may not be as close as it looks on paper. The two have faced off seven times in their careers, with Gauff holding a 5-2 record against Bencic.
