“Calm under pressure can be just as powerful as any winning shot”
Coco Gauff produced a determined comeback 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.
Pegula started strongly, taking the opening set by putting Gauff under pressure with consistent serving and forcing several unforced errors. However, Gauff responded impressively in the second set, raising the level of her first serve and controlling the rallies from the baseline to level the match.
The deciding set remained closely contested until Gauff earned a crucial break of serve. She stayed composed in the closing games and secured the victory in one hour and 48 minutes, completing another impressive comeback at the Championships.
The result marks Gauff’s best performance at Wimbledon and makes her the youngest woman since Maria Sharapova in 2007 to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. Despite playing in temperatures around 31°C, Gauff handled the challenging conditions well and will now face Karolina Muchová in the semifinals, with a place in the Wimbledon final at stake.