Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova reached their first Wimbledon semifinals on Tuesday, meaning they have now advanced to at least the semifinal stage at all four Grand Slams.
In an all-American quarterfinal on Center Court, the seventh-seeded Gauff came from a set down to beat fourth seed Jessica Pegula 4-6 6-3 6-3. Gauff, who hadn’t won a match on grass in two years before this Wimbledon, has now played four consecutive three-setters in five rounds.
Gauff made a nervy start, surrendering an early break with a double fault on break point. She responded by breaking Pegula’s serve in the sixth game with an aggressive return game, but Pegula immediately struck back. Remaining composed under pressure, she restored her advantage and calmly served out the opening set with her trademark consistency.
The second set stayed on serve through the opening seven games before Gauff found another gear. Mixing powerful groundstrokes with clever changes of pace, she earned the decisive break for a 5-3 lead. The world No. 7 then closed out the set with an ace, sending the match into a deciding third set.
The deciding set was a back-and-forth battle, with Gauff saving a break point in a tense second game before breaking Pegula to take a 2-1 lead. Pegula fought back to level at 3-3, but Gauff immediately responded with another break and held her nerve from there, closing out the victory in the next few games to eliminate the highest-ranked player left in the draw.
In the second women’s quarterfinal on Tuesday, tenth seed Muchova defeated No. 14 seed Naomi Osaka 7-6(4) 6-4. The match began with four consecutive breaks of serve before both players settled into a more stable rhythm, taking the opening set to a tiebreak. Muchova dominated the breaker from the start, building a 6-2 lead before closing it out 7-4.
The second set remained tightly contested, with neither player able to create separation until the ninth game. Osaka battled through a lengthy service game, but Muchova finally broke through after a series of deuces and took a 5-4 lead. She then calmly served out the match, earning her first Wimbledon semifinal appearance.
Eighth active players have now reached the women’s singles semifinals at all four Grand Slams, as Muchova and Gauff have joined the elite company of Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Karolina Pliskova, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek.
Wednesday’s quarterfinal lineup features Marta Kostyuk against Jasmine Paolini, while Linda Noskova takes on Elise Mertens for a place in the semifinals.
