EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWIMBLEDON, England -- Coco Gauff tapped her left wrist and smiled as she walked to the net.She had sealed the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Belinda Bencic on No. 1 Court with a service winner -- with under two minutes to go before the tournament's mandatory curfew would have suspended play for the night.Her celebratory gesture was clearly referencing the expiring clock, but it would have worked for what she had achieved with the victory as well. Seven years after her first Wimbledon appearance, in which she had become an overnight sensation as a 15-year-old qualifier and reached the fourth round in her first major main draw, Gauff advanced to the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time.The time is now. "I'm super happy to be in the quarters finally," Gauff said on court soon after. "I don't know how many tries it's been."While Gauff, 22, has won major titles at the US Open and the French Open since her breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2019, and reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the grass had remained weak spots. She had made the fourth round on three other occasions, although had not won a set in any of those appearances, and had also lost twice in the first round, including last season. Gauff has never reached a grass-court final on tour and even lost in the opening round of her lone lead-in tournament this season."We don't have the best relationship," Gauff said of grass last week.But through her first four matches this fortnight, Gauff has found ways to win against a slew of challenging opponents. Against Solana Sierra in the second round, she was two points away from another early exit in the deciding set, and then later trailed by three points in the tiebreak. But she found a way to win.She needed three sets again in the third round against Claire Liu.And against Bencic, playing in the latest-ever start on No. 1 Court, she took a 3-0 lead at the outset before suddenly being plagued by errors. Bencic, a 2025 semifinalist, stormed back and took the opening set. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka had been defeated by Naomi Osaka earlier in the day, and with no former Wimbledon champions remaining in the draw, it looked as if Gauff might join the list of big names to be getting an early start on the summer hard-court season.But Gauff refused to go away. Adding more variety to her game, Gauff kept fighting to force a deciding set. She took a 2-0 edge in the final set, before Bencic responded to level the match but Gauff then broke again.Soon after, at 5-4, and with tournament officials indicating there would be only one more game played for the night, Gauff closed it out. She later said she was unaware that would be the last game but was cognizant of the 11 o'clock deadline -- and still believed it was her best match of the tournament and perhaps her best ever on grass."I thought today I was hitting my forehand a lot better, being aggressive with it at moments." Gauff said. "Honestly, playing someone like her on grass is not sometimes the best matchup for me. Super flat hitter. The grass just enhances it more. I think it definitely gives me confidence knowing I can [beat her]. I feel like a lot of the baseline exchanges I was winning. It wasn't all me defending, things like that."I feel like today gave me a lot of confidence. Even if I did lose the match, I still think I would have walked away with some confidence."She is now the youngest American woman to have made the quarterfinals of all four Slams since Serena Williams did so in 2001.Gauff will now face No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, her former doubles partner, with both looking to reach their first Wimbledon semifinals. Pegula defeated Iva Jovic, another young American, in a comeback of her own on Monday, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Gauff and Pegula have met eight times on the WTA Tour, with Pegula winning five times, including during their most recent encounter at the WTA Finals in November and their last matchup on grass in Berlin in 2024.Gauff knows it won't be easy."Honestly, it's going to be kind of similar [as facing Bencic]," Gauff said in the late hours of Sunday night. "It will be the third flat hitter I've played in a row. I think the last two matches I've had definitely gave me prep for her."She's always a tough opponent for me. I think she's really consistent and gets a lot of balls back and can also play really aggressive, too. I think it's just going to be another one of those where I just have to be in it from start to finish."The pair will meet on Tuesday in the first match of the afternoon on Centre Court. It will be Gauff's first appearance on the famed court this year but ninth overall, and Pegula's first time ever. Pegula, who is playing in her 10th major quarterfinal, said it would be "really cool" and "an honor" if given the placement.And Gauff was the first to discount her experience on the court as much of an advantage."She has too much experience on the big stages," Gauff said. "I don't think that will play a role in the match at all."A win over Pegula would set up a clash against No. 14 seed and four-time major champion Osaka, the giant slayer who seems to have finally discovered her form on grass, or No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova. Osaka and Muchova would also be playing in their first Wimbledon semifinal -- and Gauff has historically done well against both players. She has a split record against Osaka, 3-3, and has defeated Muchova in six of their seven career meetings.Gauff said she was happy to have reached her first quarterfinal at the All England Club, and called it a "great accomplishment," but admitted she wasn't satisfied just yet."I'm definitely hungry for more," Gauff said.Still a fan favorite among the crowd at the All England Club, who fondly remember her auspicious debut at the event, and with a path to the final now filled with equally inexperienced opponents at Wimbledon, why not?The time just might be now.
