LONDON — Coco Gauff reached an important milestone on Wednesday: she made the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time, completing the set. She now has semifinal appearances at all four Grand Slams.
Her quarterfinal victory over Jessica Pegula began with a mental win: she finally felt no nerves when she stepped onto the most important court in tennis.
“After seven years playing this tournament, I think it’s the first time I was able to walk on Centre Court without any nerves, so I don’t know if I’m becoming a vet,” Gauff said.
“Considering I hadn’t won a match in two years on grass before this tournament, I’m really happy with how I played today,” she acknowledged after beating her compatriot 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
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Grass is her weakest surface, and Wimbledon is the Grand Slam where she has her poorest record. Yet it is the tournament where she shot to fame at just 15 years old.
In 2019, Gauff faced Venus Williams in the first round and won in two sets. That victory, in her absolute debut in a Grand Slam main draw — she came through qualifying — was the defining story of the tournament’s opening days, which would end with Simona Halep beating Serena Williams in the final. Gauff reached the fourth round.
It was a different era: five of the ten seeds at that tournament have since retired. The North American has not missed a single edition of any of the four majors since that debut, making her, at 22, something of a “veteran.”
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In 2026 she came close to an early exit in the second round, when Argentine Solana Sierra served for the match against her. Nerves got the better of Sierra, and Gauff was solid on the return: a pivotal moment that paved her way through the All England Club.
In the fourth round against Swiss player Belinda Bencic, with Gauff serving at 5-4 to close out the match, the tournament referee arrived at Court 1 to warn that only one more game could be played: there is a curfew in the borough of Merton at 11pm, and mass events must stop one hour before midnight, without exception.
Gauff held her nerve and delivered an efficient service game to close it out. She celebrated with a nod to exactly that, having avoided a suspension of play: “Just in time.”
“She’s coming to the net and volleying like a magician. That really surprised me,” said Andy Roddick, former world number one and three-time Wimbledon finalist.
The winner of the match between Japanese player Naomi Osaka and Czech player Karolína Muchová will be her opponent for a place in the final.
