Coco Gauff broke new ground at Wimbledon after reaching the semifinals of the Championships for the first time in her career.
The American, still just 22 years old, came back from a set down to defeat compatriot Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final four.
Gauff had struggled on grass prior to this year’s Wimbledon, having never made it past the fourth round at the tournament in seasons gone by.
What does Coco Gauff need to improve to become a major champion once again?
Despite four of her five matches in SW19 going to a third and final set, the two-time major champion has improved massively on the surface, and is now two wins away from the title.
But in her way is Karolina Muchova, who beat Gauff in their most recent meeting on the WTA Tour.
Greg Rusedski looks ahead to Coco Gauff’s next match
Muchova defeated Gauff at the Stuttgart Open during the clay season earlier this year to clinch her first win over the US star, having lost their first six matchups.
| Tournament | Surface | Winner |
| Stuttgart 2026 | Clay | Muchova |
| Miami 2026 | Hard | Gauff |
| Australian Open 2026 | Hard | Gauff |
| United Cup 2025 | Hard | Gauff |
| Beijing 2024 | Hard | Gauff |
| US Open 2023 | Hard | Gauff |
| Cincinnati 2023 | Hard | Gauff |
The two have never faced on grass, and Muchova is on a nine-match winning streak on the surface after winning the Bad Homburg Open title before Wimbledon.
Previewing the match in an episode of ‘Off Court with Greg‘, former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski had high praise for the Czech star.
“I know her game quite well,” said Rusedski. “I know the coach very well, Sven Groeneveld, my best man, who coached me for four years during my career. He’s done a fabulous job with her.
“She’s feeling confident. We thought it was going to be the French Open where she was going to have a deep run. And let’s not forget, she won the lead-in event last week, coming into the Championships as well.
What is the best Grand Slam in tennis right now?
“She’s on a roll right now. And to beat [Naomi] Osaka, the way Osaka disposed of [Aryna] Sabalenka was impressive to do it today in straight sets.
“So from my point of view, this is a difficult one to call. Osaka was my pick after the last few matches. And Muchova is the most complete player on the WTA Tour.
“There are no weaknesses. And the mindset is coming across. She must think to herself, this is a wonderful opportunity for me to be back in a Slam.
“So this one’s a very difficult one to call. And she will have that resilience, because she’s going to be thinking the same thing as Coco.”
Coco Gauff’s perseverance at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships
The only match Gauff has won in straight sets so far at Wimbledon was her first-round bout against Tamara Korpatsch.
Every clash has gone the distance since then, and in her last two matches versus Pegula and Belinda Bencic, Gauff has had to come back from a set down.
“Coco: resilience,” said Rusedski. “That’s the word I use with her. She hasn’t been playing great tennis. No question about it. She’s dropped first sets, but she just sticks with it and finds a way.
“The perseverance is exceptional. I watched that match as well as the Sinner match from start to finish, and she just had that attitude, I’m not going to lose this match. And by the end, she was playing quite well.
“Made her first semifinal ever at the Wimbledon Championships. Nobody had her as a pick to win the title.
“And all of a sudden, she is looking very, very good. And there’s going to be a match where she hits top form and starts playing in the opening set, the tennis she played at the end of the match.”
Gauff is bidding to become the first American woman to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title since Serena Williams in 2016.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
