‘How?!’ – Gauff battles into first Wimbledon semi-final Figure caption, Gauff completes comeback over Pegula to reach first Wimbledon semi-finalByHarry PooleBBC Sport journalist at WimbledonPublished7 July 2026, 16:32 BSTUpdated 37 minutes agoCoco Gauff surprised even herself by overcoming her recent grass-court struggles to reach a first Wimbledon semi-final with a battling victory over Jessica Pegula.Two-time Grand Slam singles champion Gauff had never previously gone beyond the fourth round at the All England Club and suffered a first-round exit last year.
The American arrived at this year’s championships having not won a singles match on a grass court since the third round of Wimbledon in 2024.
However, she recovered from an error-strewn start against world number four Pegula to win 4-6 6-3 6-3.
The 22-year-old is the youngest player to reach the semi-finals at all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova, who achieved that feat at the 2007 French Open.
Gauff’s past four matches have all gone to three sets but the seventh seed’s fighting spirit and supreme athleticism has seen her through to the last four.
“It feels really special considering the results I’ve had of late, especially on this surface,” Gauff mentioned.
“I think I’m able to relax a bit because I just feel, regardless of how the rest of this tournament goes, I’ve found a breakthrough on grass.
“I’m just proud of myself. Obviously I’m not satisfied – I want to go all the way.”
Gauff will face Karolina Muchova for a place in the final after the Czech 10th seed ended Naomi Osaka’s impressive run in a high-quality contest.
Muchova reached a first Wimbledon semi-final – having lost at this stage in 2019 and 2021 – with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 win over Japan’s Osaka on Court One.
