Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon win threw up so many familiar questions – and gave one big answer

Kevin Palmer 07 Jul 2026 10:37 PM

Coco Gauff celebrates after her match

It was hard to know how to assess Coco Gauff’s three-set win against Jessica Pegula that propelled her into the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time in her career.

All that matters in the final analysis is a scoreline that confirms Gauff got over the finishing line once again on a day when she took time to find her best form and rarely looked entirely convinced she would navigate a route to victory.

Her first set performance was a mix of mediocrity and inconsistency, with his serve looking shaky throughout and her tendency to push at her forehand rather than unleash her full power on it allowing Pegula to steal the opening set.

Even at the start of set two, Gauff looked uncertain when he was dragged into rallies and then her game began to click into gear.

From the perfect view provided by the Centre Court press box, you don’t only get a chance to watch the greatest player in the world on the game’s ultimate stage, but also hear the ball strike their racket and when Gauff’s forehand started to fire, it delivered real venom.

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Inch by inch, the belief that was lacking from her game returned and by the time she struck the winning blow, Coco looked like a potential Wimbledon champion who could get her hands on another Grand Slam title this Saturday.

Not for the first time in recent months, a Gauff match was a roller coaster that left you wondering whether she could cover up the flaws in her game and find a way to win.

And, not for the first time in recent months, she came through one of these matches as a winner.

“I’m pretty confident, but you told me I would be in the semis of this tournament, I’d be…” said Gauff, struggling to find the word to finish that sentence.

When Gauff looks for inspiration to convince her she can win the biggest title of them all on a surface she hasn’t always felt confident on, she points to the performances of last year’s champion, Iga Swiatek.

“I spoke about this at the start of the tournament, that definitely seeing Iga win gave me more belief, because we do have similar game styles, especially on the forehand wing,” she added.

“It definitely gave me more belief. As far as the grass changing, it definitely for sure has changed over the course of tennis, over the last 15, 20 years.

“Do I think it’s changed since I’ve been playing Wimbledon? I don’t know if I’m actually that smart of a person to be able to tell you if I played that many matches, so I don’t know.

“I definitely think maybe when it was faster, I don’t know, 10, 15 years ago, it would probably be even harder.

“As far as like from 2019 to now, I don’t know if it’s that much different. I think you would have to ask somebody with more experience than me.”

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Gauff will head into her semi-final against Karolina Muchova, probably expecting to have phases in the match where her form and belief slide, but this indefatigable champion has proved time and again that she can win when she is not at her best.

That is always the sign of a champion.