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Closing Power: Gauff Rallies Past Pegula for Maiden Wimbledon Semifinal

Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Photo credit: Antoine Couvercelle/ROLEX

Champions can adapt to major stress—Coco Gauff accelerates through it.

South Florida is a long way from Southfields, but Gauff continues to channel Wimbledon fans’ favorite tube stop on Centre Court.

Streaking across the grass, Gauff’s competitive engine makes her roar District Line trains rolling through Southfields station: She just keeps coming.

On the hottest day of the tournament, Gauff converted all five break points she earned racing past former doubles partner Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 into her maiden Wimbledon semifinal in a highly-entertaining all-American clash.

This final four appearance left Gauff a bit gobsmacked.

“Honestly, pretty insane, honestly,” Gauff said. “I hadn’t won a match on grass in two years before this tournament. I’m definitely just really happy with how I played today.

“Jess is a great player and incredible opponent and person. Playing against her is never easy. But I’m just happy to get through this one today.” 

The 22-year-old Gauff has now completed a major mark reaching semifinals or better at all four Grand Slam tournaments—and reinforced her reputation as a convincing major closer winning her fourth consecutive three-setter.

Speed, stamina and that scoring serve give Gauff staying power.

Gauff is now 18-3 in her last 21 Grand Slam three-setters—the best winning percentage of any woman over the same period. Gauff is the first woman to win four straight three-setters from the Wimbledon second round to the semifinals since Kimiko Date back in 1996. 

After a week of wild Wimbledon upsets, the seventh seeded Gauff is the highest seed still standing.

“Regardless of, yeah, how it goes, I think I’m just proud of myself,” Gauff said. “Obviously I’m not satisfied. I want to go all the way. Also, at the same time, I’m just looking at the match in front of me and just trying to keep doing better each point.”

Continuing her quest for a third Grand Slam championship, Gauff will face either 14th-seeded Naomi Osaka or 10th-seeded Czech Karolina Muchova for a spot in Saturday’s final. 

It’s a deeply disappointing defeat for Pegula, who was bidding for her maiden semifinal in her first Centre Court appearance but was her own worst enemy on pivotal points. In an abysmal game, Pegula donated a love break and 5-3 lead to Gauff at the end of the second set then failed to convert a break point that would have given her a 2-0 third-set lead.

It was Gauff’s third win over Pegula in their last four meetings—she closed their head-to-head gap to 4-5—and today it was Gauff’s crackling serve, eye-popping court coverage and some timely forehand strikes that carried her through. 

“I think Jess’ ball is so flat and low I just needed to trust that I can be in there in the rallies and just play the tennis I wanted to play,” said Gauff, who served 76 percent in the decider when she hit three of her seven aces. “I think I started to land more first serves in the court and I think that started to help and just trusting my shots.

“In the first set, I think I made too many errors rushing the rallies too quickly. I just felt the last two sets were great tennis.

“I’ve been going three sets almost every match. I feel like when you have that faith in yourself as a competitor when the match goes the distance, when you lose one set, you’re not panicking.”

This match also raised an age-old tennis question: Can high-level consistency produced by Pegula beat extreme explosives with patches of erratic play from Gauff?

It’s a classic championship question played out by Hall of Fame legendary rivals of the past: Chrissie v. Martina, Jimbo v. Mac, Andre v. Pete, Rosewall v. Laver, Lew Hoad v. Tony Trabert.

On this day’s Gauff’s high-level notes were crescendos—a tournament-tying 126 mph ace and amazing all-court scrambling to prevail in a few running rallies late in the match—after discordant lows including 16 unforced errors in the opening set, seven double faults and some forehand shanks trying to dig out Pegula’s drives. 

The 32-year-old Pegula played solid crosscourt drives and repeatedly challenged her ex-doubles partner’s weaker forehand wing. Because of her extreme western grip, Gauff can struggle digging the low ball—Pegula’s speciality—off the lawn. That’s why you see Gauff go the slice forehand more than the other quarterfinalists, a shot Tatjana Maria and Anistasija Sevastova mastered.

Fueled by a 118 mph ace, Gauff held to close the gap to 4-5.

Serving with depth, Pegula drew return errors. Just when she needed to be most controlled, Gauff sprayed a spasmodic backhand down line wide handing Pegula double set point.

The fourth seed needed only one. 

Attacking her opponent’s weaker wing again, Pegula made Gauff play another forehand. Gauff pasted a limp forehand into the middle of the net as Pegula closed the 34-minute opener before a Royal Box crowd that included Benedict Cumberbatch and Anthony Scaramucci.

In her quest for a maiden Wimbledon semifinal, Pegula played clean combinations committing just six unforced errors—10 fewer than Gauff, who wasn’t timing her forehand as she had in her win over former Olympic gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic.

The good news for Pegula: The first-set winner had won all eight of the prior meetings between the pair.

Pegula pressed to double break point to start the second set. 

A stubborn Gauff staved off both break points—then retrieved a rainbow lob and rolled a perfect backhand pass down the line. That sequence helped Gauff earn the hard-fought hold.

Because of her erratic forehand, some question if Gauff can ever conquer grass.

Game three of the set served as a powerful statement for Gauff’s grass game. First, she sliced a forehand approach deep in the corner and danced quick to block a backhand winner, then she rocketed a 126 mph ace down the T—matching her fastest-serve of the tournament from round one—then threw down a soaring Sampras-esquet smash holing for 2-1 with a loud “Come on!”

Pegula lost the plot late in the set. Pushed back by a rousing Gauff forehand return, Pegula faced triple break point in the eighth game.

A jittery Pegula double-faulted the break as Gauff seized her eighth straight point and a 5-3 lead.

Serving for the set, Gauff bombed a 118 serve winner to open the game and closed the set with a sizzling 117 mph ace that provoked a puff of white paste to dance in the air. Gauff’s fourth ace sent her into her fourth straight three-setter of this fortnight.

The 2024 US Open finalist had won both prior three-set matches vs. Gauff, including a 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-2 victory in their last clash at The WTA Finals.

Elevating her all-court attack, Gauff dabbed a drop volley winner for break points then dipped a devious forehand pass to score first-break blood in the last set, 2-1.

Knocking off a high backhand volley for break point, Pegula broke back for 3-all when Gauff flat-lined a forehand into net.

The Delray Beach-born baseliner is like the escape artist who relishes the challenge of confining herself into corners then breaking out brilliantly. Gauff roped her forehand return with conviction breaking back at love for 4-3.

Capping the eighth game with a sensational all-court surge that drew an ovation from Centre Court fans, Gauff held for 5-3. When Pegula netted a backhand, Gauff was through to the semifinals in one hour, 48 minutes.

Closing with confidence, Gauff is commanding a surface that’s challenged her in the past. Gauff slid out of the Wimbledon first round in two of her last three All England Club appearances.

This month, Gauff is facing third-set challenges with the command of a woman sprinting downhill or a train on the winning track.

“I think for me, I’ve played, like, three opponents in a row where I feel like are really tough opponents like in general, but especially for me on grass,” Gauff said. “I felt like in the first set I was maybe rushing out of some points too early, either trying to either get out of the rally or overhit too much.”

Trust is fueling the Coco Express, Gauff said.

“Towards the end, I just really honed in on my game and realized I don’t have to play a spectacular point every time to win, even though there were some spectacular points,” Gauff said. “I think just trusting myself, trusting that my groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface. I
think my last match against Belinda showed that.

“Obviously today against Jess I think showed that, as well.”

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Richard Pagliaro

Richard Pagliaro is Tennis Now Managing Editor. He is a graduate of New York University and has covered pro tennis for more than 35 years. Richard was tennis columnist for Gannett Newspapers in NY, served as Managing Editor for TennisWeek.com and worked as a writer/editor for Tennis.com. He has been TennisNow.com managing editor since 2010.

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