Gauff completes comeback over Pegula to reach first Wimbledon semi-final
Coco Gauff has advanced to her first Wimbledon semi-final by overcoming Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought comeback victory.
The two-time Grand Slam singles champion had never progressed beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon before and was eliminated in the first round last year.
Despite a challenging start marked by errors against world number four Pegula, the highest-ranked player remaining in the singles draw, Gauff secured a 4-6 6-3 6-3 win.
At 22 years old, Gauff is the youngest player to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments since Maria Sharapova achieved this at the 2007 French Open.
She will face Karolina Muchova for a place in the final after the Czech 10th seed ended Naomi Osaka's impressive run in a high-quality match.
Muchova also reached her first Wimbledon semi-final, having previously lost at this stage in 2019 and 2021, with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory over Osaka on Court One.
Gauff, seeded seventh, struggled with four double faults and 17 unforced errors in the opening set.
However, demonstrating the fighting spirit she has shown throughout the tournament, Gauff became the first woman in 30 years to reach the singles semi-finals with four three-set wins.
"I think a lot of people had me going out in the first or second round this tournament," Gauff joked afterwards.
"After seven years playing in this tournament, it is the first time I've walked onto Centre Court and not felt nervous.
So I don't know - am I becoming a veteran already?"
Gauff will face either Naomi Osaka or Karolina Muchova, who are scheduled to meet later on Tuesday, for a place in Saturday's final.
After a strong opening set, Pegula was ultimately punished for not capitalizing on early opportunities in the second set, despite forcing three break points in Gauff's first two service games.
The momentum shifted when Gauff took advantage of a poor game from Pegula, breaking serve to love and maintaining composure to recover from 0-30 down as she served out the set to level the match.
The match remained unpredictable in the final set, but Gauff elevated her level when it mattered most.
The 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open champion responded immediately to take a 4-3 lead after Pegula had broken back, and clinched victory on Pegula's serve with her first match point.
With this loss, Pegula's pursuit of her first Grand Slam singles title continues, and she may reflect on a missed opportunity.
