Gauff edges past Bencic with minutes to spare

When Coco Gauff beat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to progress to her first Wimbledon quarter-final, she held a finger to her wrist. Right on time, was the message she was sending her team, who had lived through another of Gauff’s thrillers.

She wrapped up the two-hour, 18-minute comeback under the lights of No.1 Court, leaving just two minutes to spare ahead of the 11pm curfew, when play must stop at the All England Club.

“I’m super happy to be in the quarters finally,” Gauff said. “I don’t know how many tries it’s been. I was looking at the clock the last service game. I was like ‘I gotta hit some big serves and big shots.’ That match point I was going for a serve and volley because I was like, ‘I need to end the point’.

“This was probably the most dramatic finish. I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis we’re used to not having a clock. But today I felt the pressure. I’m glad I didn’t choose basketball.”

The two-time Grand Slam champion made her name on No.1 Court as a 15-year-old debutant seven years ago, and she hit another milestone on that same court by reaching the last eight. Wimbledon was the only quarter-final Gauff had yet to reach in her Grand Slam career and in completing the set, the 22-year-old becomes the youngest American to do so since Serena Williams in 2001.

She cut it fine on Sunday night, but that was down to her opponent as much as anything. Heading into this match, Gauff had a 5-2 winning record against Switzerland’s Bencic, but it is rarely straightforward when these two meet: five of those seven previous matches went the distance. Both players’ defensive skills rank among the top of the game too.

Olympic gold-medallist Bencic’s flat-hitting style and ability to take time away from her opponents makes her a threat, especially here, one year on from her run to the semi-finals. She took the first set despite falling to an initial 3-0 deficit. Still, Gauff managed to work her way back into the match, including hitting an impressive lob to clinch the second set.

The turnaround was in large part due to her reducing her error count (she had 24 unforced errors in the opener), injecting more variety into her game and taking the match on with some aggressive tactics. She came to the net 13 times in the decider (compared to just six in the first set), and won 11 of those points, showing great reactions and finesse.

Gauff ended the comeback in style. It marked only the third time she has won at Wimbledon after losing the first set – and the first time in four years.

Suspension of Balogun’s match ban: Trump thanks FIFA for “reversing great injustice”

With world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka’s exit earlier on Sunday – as well as Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva and Amanda Anisimova losing this week – Gauff is now the second-highest ranked player left in the women’s draw.

She trails only fourth seed and compatriot Jessica Pegula, her next opponent.

Source: https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/wimbledon_2026_bencic_gauff_4R