By KEN MAGUIRE
Contributing Writer
LONDON (AP) — There’s no panic in Coco Gauff.
Down a set after untimely double-faults, Gauff rallied past Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 July 7 to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.
The two-time major champion raised her arms in the air after Pegula sent a weak backhand into the net on the first match point in an all-American quarterfinal on Centre Court.
“I’ve been going three sets almost every match. I feel like when you have that faith in yourself as a competitor, when the match goes a distance, you know when you lose one set, you’re not panicking,” Gauff said in an on-court interview.
With the victory, the 22-year-old Gauff became the youngest player to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova, who completed the feat at the 2007 French Open, the women’s professional tennis tour said.
Gauff will face 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic July 9 for a spot in the July 11 final. Muchova eliminated four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-6 (4), 6-4. Osaka had outslugged world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) July 5 to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
In Gauff’s six previous appearances at the All England Club, she had never gotten past the fourth round. But perhaps experience at the grass-court major is starting to pay off.
“I think after seven years playing this tournament it’s finally the first time I can walk on Centre Court and I didn’t feel nervous,” she said. “So I don’t know if I’m becoming a vet.”
The “vet” was undone by early double-faults, though, putting herself in a hole to start the match. She led 40-0 right away but lost the next five points — including two on double-faults — to go down 1-0. After breaking Pegula in the sixth game, Gauff was immediately broken to love with two more double-faults.
Gauff called the last two sets “really great tennis.”
“Jess’ ball is so flat and low. So I think I just needed to address that … be in there in the rallies and just play the tennis that I wanted to play. And I think I started to land more first serves in the court,” said Gauff, who cranked up one serve to 126 mph in the third game of the second set. “So I think that also helped and just trusting my shots.”
