Coco Gauff reached her first Wimbledon quarter-final on Sunday, 5 July 2026, digging out a dramatic three-set win over Belinda Bencic that finished just two minutes before the tournament’s 23:00 curfew (00:00 SAST).
It was a proper breakthrough for the American, who had lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon three times before this, as reported by the WTA.
She came from a set down to beat Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and she could not stop grinning about finally cracking the last eight.
How Coco Gauff sealed her Wimbledon quarter-final
The match did not even start until 20:40 (21:40 SAST) after an earlier four-hour marathon pushed the schedule back, leaving Gauff racing the clock. She finished at 22:58 (23:58 SAST), sneaking under the strict 23:00 curfew (00:00 SAST) by two minutes to avoid an overnight suspension.
Gauff was buzzing afterwards and did not hide how tight it got.
“Super happy to be in the quarters finally. I don’t know how many tries it’s been. I was looking at the clock the last service game. I was like ‘I gotta hit some big serves and big shots’,” she said.
She admitted she went for broke on match point.
“That match point I was going for a serve and volley because I was like, ‘I need to end the point.’ This was probably the most dramatic finish,” Gauff said, before joking that the ticking clock was a whole new kind of nerve.
“I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis we’re used to not having a clock. But honestly today I felt the pressure. I’m glad I didn’t choose basketball,” she added, reckoning it was maybe her best match of the tournament and perhaps her best ever on grass.
What Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon quarter-final means next
The win finally shakes off a nagging fourth-round curse for Gauff, who had never won a set in her three previous last-16 appearances at Wimbledon.
Grass was long seen as her trickiest surface, which makes this deep run at the All England Club feel like a real turning point for the young American.
Pegula, a hard-court specialist and the higher seed, reached the last eight without dropping much of a beat, setting up a clash of two American players who have never gone beyond the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
It is a fixture that guarantees at least one home name in the semi-finals of the ladies’ draw.
Next up is an all-American quarterfinal against fourth seed Jessica Pegula on Tuesday, 7 July 2026, with a maiden Wimbledon semi-final on the line for both women.
Win that, and Gauff would complete the last-eight set at all four Grand Slams while chasing a first final at the grass-court major.
