​THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB, London — Coco Gauff is making Wimbledon her own, doing it her way. The two-time Grand Slam champion, already eyeing many more titles, defeated her fellow American Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Centre Court Tuesday, marking another milestone in her grass-court evolution. After three matches in which she demonstrated a growing comfort on the turf, Gauff delivered a victory that felt almost anti-grass in its approach.
Gauff, 22, entered Wimbledon without a grass-court win in two years. Like Pegula, 32, this was her first quarterfinal at Wimbledon. On a day when Pegula—who has a track record of thriving on quicker, slicker grass in Europe—was expected to be the favorite, Gauff dragged the match into a more loopy, deeper, and grittier contest, disrupting Pegula’s rhythm and tempo.
Gauff’s repertoire on the lawn included some textbook moments of classic tennis. Her first serve fired with precision, slicing through the court on a hot summer afternoon. She also showed improved net play, combining aggression with creativity in a way Pegula found difficult to counter. Yet the victory’s backbone came from the baseline, where Gauff buried Pegula with high, heavy forehands and flatter backhands, pushing Pegula off the court and forcing her to retreat into positions where the ball climbed above her strike zone on nearly every rally.
The semifinal lineup promises a contrast in styles: Karolína Muchová, renowned for her deft touch and feel, and Naomi Osaka, a punisher of flat, aggressive power, await. Gauff will need to choose the version of herself that can handle either path—an adaptable, balanced mix of tactic and power—to advance.
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