Coco Gauff reaches first Wimbledon semi-final with comeback win over Pegula

Coco Gauff reached her first Wimbledon semi-final on Tuesday with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback over fellow American Jessica Pegula on Centre Court, turning an awkward opening set into a 1 hour 48 minute victory. The No. 7 seed finished the quarter-final when Pegula sent a backhand into the net, sending Gauff into the final four at the All England Club for the first time.

The result completed Gauff’s set of Grand Slam semi-finals at age 22, making her the youngest player to reach the last four at all four majors since Maria Sharapova. It also marked her first passage beyond the Wimbledon fourth round after three previous attempts, a breakthrough that has recast her grass-court reputation from promising to increasingly settled.

Gauff’s run had already demanded patience and composure. In the fourth round, she came from a set down again to beat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and finished just two minutes before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew. Against Pegula, the No. 4 seed, Gauff had to manage more than scoreboard pressure. She asked for an ice pack early in the match as temperatures rose in London, then stayed compact through the long exchanges that followed.

The matchup carried added weight because Pegula and Gauff were former doubles partners and good friends, which made the all-American quarter-final feel more personal than routine. Gauff still handled it like a player learning how to own these stages rather than react to them, steadying after the opening set and refusing to let the match drift once she found her rhythm.

The 2026 Wimbledon Championships run from June 29 to July 12, and Gauff’s place in the semi-finals gives her her deepest Wimbledon run yet. For a player who already has two Grand Slam titles, the shift is less about survival on grass than expectation, with Centre Court now showing a version of Gauff who can absorb a bad start, reset quickly and finish the job.