Coco Gauff Finally Cracks the Wimbledon Semifinal Code After Beating Jessica Pegula

Coco Gauff is officially a Wimbledon semifinalist for the first time. That sentence didn’t exist in tennis history until Tuesday, when the 22-year-old American outlasted her friend and doubles partner Jessica Pegula in three sets at the All England Club. The final score: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

This is the same Gauff who got bounced in the first round here last year. Same player who has admitted, openly and repeatedly, that grass courts mess with her head. Same athlete with three Grand Slam titles to her name — but none of them on grass. So Tuesday mattered. A lot.

A Grudge Match Against the Surface

Gauff’s game has always been built for hard courts and clay — big topspin, heavy baseline work, aggressive net play. Grass rewards the opposite: slice, flat contact, low bounces that force awkward swings. For years, that contrast created a mental block. Gauff has talked about the weird psychological reset she needs every time the tour hits the grass swing. It’s not just tactics. It’s confidence.

But against Pegula, something clicked. After dropping the first set, Gauff didn’t panic. She tightened her returns, started reading Pegula’s serve better, and played the big points with the kind of composure that usually shows up in hard court majors. That’s the version of Gauff who beat Belinda Bencic in the fourth round on Sunday, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 just before the 11 p.m. Wimbledon curfew.

The Long Road to This Moment

Gauff’s history at Wimbledon is already wild. She qualified here at 15 years old — youngest player in the Open Era to do it — and then beat Venus Williams in straight sets in the first round. That was 2019. Since then, she’s made the fourth round three times (2019, 2021, 2024) but never cracked the final four. Until now.

She’ll face either Naomi Osaka or Karolína Muchová in the semifinals. That’s a loaded matchup either way. Osaka beat Gauff at the 2025 US Open in straight sets, so there’s some revenge narrative floating around if that’s the draw. Muchová is tricky, crafty, and dangerous on grass. Neither will be easy.

But for one night in London, Gauff looked like she belonged on this surface. Not just as a competitor, but as a contender.