Wimbledon’s Tuesday morning session was headlined by an all-American showdown between No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 7 seed Coco Gauff on Center Court.
After the fourth seed put the seventh seed in a pinch in the first set, Gauff rallied to take the final two sets and earn a thrilling three-set victory (4-6, 6-3, 6-3) to book her ticket to the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career. Gauff had a similar come-from-behind victory over No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic in the round of 16, marking her second consecutive win after dropping the first set.
Both Pegula and Gauff had never reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon before, so they were looking to venture into uncharted territory at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Pegula had the upper hand in the early stages, but the two-time Grand Slam champion once again showed grit and determination.
The first set was a familiar sight for Gauff, and his struggles on serve have been documented for quite some time. Gauff completed just 59 percent of her first serves in the first set compared to Pegula’s 67 percent, and made 16 unforced errors as she struggled to find her footing early on.
Things didn’t necessarily go well for Gauff in the second set either, but she fought off a few early break points and eventually found a rhythm on her serve to avoid a break. Pegula opened the match at 3-4 on serve, but got tight at the wrong time and had a triple break point when she tossed with a double fault, where she looked incredibly nervous. That was the difference in the second set, and heading into the third it was clear that the momentum had shifted on center court.
The third set was a similar story, with Gauff able to do her best in the moments she needed, but Pegula never gaining the upper hand. Gauff fended off all of Pegula’s small rallies and held serve, keeping the pressure on the fourth seed to respond. Pegula was unable to withstand the challenge and was ultimately broken twice, including in the final game of the match, ending his run in London.
Gauff seemed to find something in the final two sets, finding more success with her serve and swinging it with confidence, especially at key points. Statistically, the two Americans weren’t that far apart in this match, but the most notable difference was that Gauff converted on 5 of 5 break point opportunities, while Pegula was 3 of 7 on break points. Sometimes matches are all about timing, and while Pegula left a bit to be desired in the moment, Gauff’s ability to do her best when needed was the difference between reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal.
Gauff would want to avoid falling a set behind in the semifinals against Naomi Osaka or Carolina Muchova, but by coming that far with back-to-back comebacks, she once again proved that she can’t be defeated even if things don’t go her way early on. Her serve and forehand still don’t seem as consistent as she would like, but she has a difficult game change to play against, and her defense and knack for digging out key points continues to shine.
