Coco Gauff Reaches First Wimbledon Semifinal With Dramatic Comeback Win Over Fellow American Jessica Pegula

LONDON — Coco Gauff advanced to her first career Wimbledon semifinal on Tuesday, rallying from a set down to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in an all-USA quarterfinal that pitted the tournament's two highest-seeded women's players against each other on Centre Court.

The No. 7-seeded Gauff overcame an early setback, dropping the first set to the No. 4-seeded Pegula before regrouping to take control of the match over the final two sets. The turning point of the second set came when Pegula, serving at 3-4, double-faulted at 0-40, handing Gauff a 5-3 lead she would not relinquish. Gauff then sealed the set with a 117 mph ace, leveling the match at one set apiece.

The decisive third set featured several momentum swings before Gauff ultimately pulled away. She broke Pegula with a low passing-shot winner to take a 2-1 lead, only for Pegula to break back immediately when Gauff netted a forehand on break point, tying the set at three games apiece. Gauff responded right away, breaking Pegula at love for a 4-3 lead after Pegula netted a forehand off a deep service return. With Pegula serving to stay in the match at 3-5, 30-40, she dumped a backhand into the net, sending Gauff into a celebration on court as she completed the win.

Gauff finished the match a perfect 4-for-4 on break-point conversions and served at 76 percent in the decisive third set, controlling the tempo from the baseline throughout the closing stages of the match. Speaking on court immediately after the win, Gauff reflected on the significance of the result given her earlier struggles on grass. "Honestly, pretty insane," Gauff said. "Considering I hadn't won a match on grass in 2 years before this tournament. I'm definitely just really happy with how I played today. Jess is an incredible opponent and person, playing against her is never easy. I'm just happy to get through this one today."

Tuesday's meeting marked a historic occasion for American tennis. According to ESPN, Gauff and Pegula were the first pair of American women's top-10 seeds to meet at Wimbledon since Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus in the 2009 final. The matchup also carried personal significance for both players, given their history as former doubles partners, including during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the pair won gold together before splitting to focus on their individual singles careers.

With the win, Gauff, 22, became the highest remaining seed in the women's singles draw and is now guaranteed to reach at least the final, given the depth of the remaining field. She is set to face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal between No. 14 seed Naomi Osaka of Japan and No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova of Czechia in the semifinals. ESPN broadcaster Mary Joe Fernandez offered high praise for Gauff's game following the match, suggesting she could be the player to beat for the remainder of the tournament. "I like the winner of this match going all the way," Fernandez said on air. "The way that Coco moves, the way that she can attack the net, she's going to be really hard to beat."

For Pegula, 32, the loss extends a career pattern in which she has consistently reached the latter stages of Grand Slam tournaments without ever winning one. She has now reached 10 career Grand Slam quarterfinals but has never advanced past the quarterfinal round at Wimbledon specifically, and she remains in search of her first major singles title. Pegula, the daughter of billionaire Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula, had entered this year's tournament having reached the semifinals of the Aussie Open earlier this season, adding to a résumé that already includes a runner-up finish at the 2024 U.S. Open, her best Grand Slam result to date.

Tuesday's result carries significant financial implications for both players as well. According to prize money figures cited by Forbes, Gauff's semifinal appearance earns her approximately $1.24 million, while the tournament's eventual champion will take home close to $5 million, with the runner-up receiving approximately $2.48 million.

Gauff's path to her first Wimbledon semifinal has been defined by resilience throughout the tournament. Her win over Pegula marked her third three-set victory of this year's Championships, following an earlier comeback in the second round that included a tense 10-point tiebreak against Solana Sierra. Prior to this tournament, Gauff had never advanced past the fourth round at the All England Club, making Wimbledon the last of the four Grand Slam events where she had yet to reach the quarterfinal stage before this year's breakthrough run. She previously won the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 French Open, giving her two major titles heading into this week's semifinal, but neither had come on grass, a surface that had proven consistently difficult for her in previous years.

Gauff's semifinal opponent will be determined Thursday when Osaka and Muchova meet in a rematch of their recent Bad Homburg final. Osaka reached the quarterfinals after delivering one of the standout performances of the tournament, upsetting top-seeded and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, a result that reshaped the entire women's draw following the earlier eliminations of defending champion Iga Swiatek and 2022 champion Elena Rybakina.

With Tuesday's win, Gauff has ensured that an American will reach the Wimbledon final for the first time since the 2009 all-Williams-sisters final, a milestone that adds further significance to a tournament that has already produced a string of notable upsets throughout its women's draw. As she prepares for Thursday's semifinal, Gauff will look to build on what she described as a career-best performance on grass, a surface she has now shown she can navigate at the highest level of the sport after years of comparative struggle on the fastest of tennis's four Grand Slam surfaces.