Coco Gauff has ‘obvious things going wrong’ but stand out quality can help win maiden Wimbledon

Jul 9, 2026 - 12:45

Coco Gauff has already made her first WImbledon semifinal, not the two-time Grand Slam champion is aiming for a first final in SW19.

After a stunning comeback victory over American No. 1 Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals, Gauff has set up a last four clash with Karolína Muchová, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s final.

Coco Gauff of the United States reacts to defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the fourth round on Day Seven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 — Gauff battled back after a slow start to down Pegula in a tough match

This is the closest that the 22-year-old has come to winning this major, having found the All England Club hugely challenging since making her professional debut back in 2019.

In fact, up until this year she had never gone been the fourth round, ironic given that she announced herself on the world stage when she stunned five-time champion Venus Williams on Court No. 1 as a 15-year-old qualifier on the grass courts.

Despite sitting just two wins away from the third Grand Slam win of her young career, it has been no easy feat to get to this point for Gauff.

She became the first player since Kimiko Date in 1996 to reach the semi-finals via four three-set matches, having gone the full distance in every game since her second round clash against Argentine Solana Sierra.

Even Gauff’s quarterfinal victory was no plain sailing, recording 32 unforced errors to Pegula’s 24, most of which came in the first set.

The current world No. 7 also had seven double faults in the match to go with her seven aces.

Tough to call a winner, but Gauff’s mental resilience may be determining factor

Former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski believes the Wimbledon women’s singles tournament could be won by any of the final four, with Linda Noskova and Marta Kostyuk meeting in the other semifinal.

“[The tournament has been] Wide wide open from the start, so many upsets. Coco Gauff, I was there on Tuesday. The first set of her match in her quarter final against Jessica Pegula, honestly, it was poor,” Tennis 365s Kevin Palmer said on Off Court With Greg Rusedski podcast.

“… I mean, so many things were going wrong, but that girl Coco Gauff has got an incredible mindset. She can just get back on track. … She just has a way of clicking the gears and then once she got into it, Pegula couldn’t handle her.

“Coco Gauff is a great story. She’s an engaging character. It’d be amazing to see her get to a Wimbledon final.”

Czech star Karolina Muchova stands in the way of Gauff reaching her maiden Wimbledon final

US player Coco Gauff reacts against US player Jessica Pegula during their women's singles quarter-final tennis match on the ninth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships — Gauff’s struggles throughout the tournament have been evident

“This again is a 50/50 phone-a-friend match, but a lot of the pundits and a lot of people are thinking this is Coco Gauff’s time. I’m not so sure,” Rusedski said in response.

“We know she’s going to be resilient. We know she’s going to find a way no matter how her tennis is there. Still it is anybody’s to play for right now. There is no favorite.

“It’s interesting though in the women’s game, particularly with Coco, for someone to have achieved so much in her career and have so many kind of obvious kind of things you can see that are wrong that you could improve as a coach potentially, but it’s probably easier said than done, I’m guessing,” Palmer added.

“I’ve never been a coach, but she’s she’s won Grand Slam titles. She’s one of the biggest stars in the game. She’s been amazing for tennis, but there’s obvious areas that you think she can improve on still.”

Rudeski replied, “Well, she’s working on them. If it all was only so easy to change everything, Kevin, all of us would be coaches. … You can do it in practice, but then can you do it in a match? And transitioning those things over is not easy.

“But she’s battling, she’s fighting, she’s competing. She won last year, the French Open, not playing great tennis, but her resilience was incredible. She’s won two majors, and there’s still room for improvement.

Coco Gauff of the Untied States reacts in the Ladies Singles fourth round match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day seven of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 — But her mental toughness has carried her through, and could yet play an integral role in whether she can win her third major

“And she could be Wimbledon champion in a few days’ time from now as well, still. So for me, nothing but respect for Coco Gauff and the coaches and the teams around them, everybody knows what she needs to do. And they’re working on it.

“And once she gets those things solidified in her game, then she becomes a dominant force. But she’s still always a contender to win these majors.

“She’s a phenomenal athlete. And, if I’m looking out of the four players, who’s got the most mental strength? I’d say Coco Gauff of the four that remain, but that doesn’t guarantee you’re gonna win the title.”

Should Gauff come away with victory against Muchová, then only a final matchup against either Kostyuk or Nosková will stand in her way of winning her third different major championship.

This would ultimately put the 22-year-old just an Australian Open victory away from completing a Career Grand Slam.

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