Coco Gauff Reaches First Wimbledon Quarter-final With 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Win Before 11pm Curfew

Q: Gauff's dramatic win hid a key vulnerability. Will her nine double faults be the flaw that ends her Wimbledon run?

Yes — it is a real vulnerability, and against Jessica Pegula it could be the factor that ends Coco Gauff’s Wimbledon run if it resurfaces at the wrong moments. The warning sign from the Bencic match was not just the total of nine double faults, but how they came: five in one first-set game. That kind of serving collapse can hand away momentum and free points, especially against a cleaner returner and steadier ball-striker like Pegula. Gauff recovered because her athleticism, groundstrokes and composure were strong enough to outweigh the damage. That may not be as forgiving in the quarter-final. At the same time, the double faults should not be treated as a fatal flaw on their own. Recent form suggests her serve has generally improved. The additional reporting notes she had spoken this season about feeling more stable on her second serve, and in other recent matches her double-fault count has been much lower. That makes the Bencic performance look more like a relapse under pressure than a constant trend. The matchup matters. Pegula leads their head-to-head 5-3 and is coming off a composed win in which she corrected her own serving issues mid-match. If Gauff lands a solid first-serve percentage and keeps the double faults under control, her power and movement give her every chance. If the second serve breaks down again, Pegula is the kind of opponent likely to punish it. So the serve is not certain to end Gauff’s run, but it is the clearest weakness now exposed.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 5

Two minutes before Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew, Coco Gauff completed a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback over Belinda Bencic to make the quarter-finals there for the first time.
An 8.40pm start — the latest in Wimbledon history — left the pair 2 hours 20 minutes to finish, and Gauff sealed match point at 10.58pm after glancing at the clock in her final service game.
Nine double faults, including five in one first-set game, helped Bencic take the opener, but Gauff reset after a bathroom break and raised her level through the final two sets.
The No. 7 seed now faces fellow American Jessica Pegula for a semi-final place, keeping alive her bid for a first Wimbledon title.