Coco Gauff made history at the All England Club on Tuesday, rallying past compatriot Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the very first time, and she could barely believe it herself.
The 22-year-old two-time major champion had never previously advanced beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon in six prior attempts, and entered this year's tournament having not won a singles match on grass since 2024. A first-round exit in 2025 and an opening-round loss at her Berlin tune-up made her semi-final berth all the more stunning. When her match point landed, Gauff turned to her box and mouthed "how?"
"Honestly, pretty insane," she admitted on court, later adding that reaching this stage was something she would never have predicted just weeks ago.
The road wasn't smooth. Gauff dropped the opening set after four double faults and 17 unforced errors plagued her early play. But she has made a habit of three-set comebacks this fortnight, she becomes the first woman to reach a Wimbledon singles semi-final with four three-set victories in 30 years. Her belief never wavered. "When the match goes a distance, you know when you lose one set, you're not panicking," she said.
With this result, Gauff became the youngest player to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova achieved that milestone at the 2007 French Open.
Awaiting her on Thursday is 10th seed Karolina Muchova, who dismissed Naomi Osaka 7-6(4), 6-4 on Court One. Muchova arrives riding nine consecutive wins on grass and is herself reaching a first Wimbledon semi-final, completing her own career Slam semi sweep simultaneously, a double occurrence not seen since Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin at the 2003 US Open.
TennisDraw users backing Gauff for the title will be watching Thursday's Centre Court clash very closely.
