Coco Gauff Reaches First Wimbledon Semifinal at 22, Completing All 4 Grand Slam Semis

Q: With 10 quarter-final runs, what is the final barrier preventing Jessica Pegula from winning a Grand Slam title?

Jessica Pegula’s remaining barrier is not reaching the latter stages of majors, but winning the biggest match of all: a Grand Slam final. The Wimbledon loss to Coco Gauff was her 10th major quarter-final and another missed chance to move deeper, but Pegula has already shown she can get beyond that stage. The additional reporting notes she was the 2024 US Open runner-up, meaning she has reached a Slam final before and fallen short there, losing to Aryna Sabalenka. That makes the issue less about consistency and more about converting opportunities at the sharpest end of majors. Pegula has been one of the tour’s steadiest performers, with a strong 2026 record and a run of deep Slam appearances, but against the very best players in the highest-pressure moments, she has not yet taken the final step. Her defeat to Gauff also fit that pattern. Pegula created openings, especially early in the second set, but failed to take key break points. In majors, those small margins often decide whether a player merely contends or becomes a champion. So after 10 quarter-final runs, Pegula’s final obstacle is clear: turning deep runs into a title by winning the decisive matches against elite opposition, especially in a Grand Slam final.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 7

4-6, 6-3, 6-3 — Gauff came from a set down to beat Jessica Pegula in an all-American quarterfinal and break through to her first Wimbledon semifinal.
22-year-old Gauff became the youngest woman since Maria Sharapova in 2007 to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slams.
Double faults put Gauff in an early hole, but she said better first-serving and trusting her shots turned the final two sets into "really great tennis."
Karolina Muchova, the No. 10 seed, awaits in the semifinals after beating Naomi Osaka 7-6(4), 6-4 for a place in Saturday's final.