Coco Gauff has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships for the first time in her career, while taking the “most dramatic” route to the milestone. In a race against the clock, the American just narrowly avoided an overnight suspension at the grass-court Major during her tense battle with Belinda Bencic.
What Coco Gauff Said After Her Dramatic Race Against the Wimbledon Curfew
No. 7 seed Gauff and No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic did not begin their fourth-round clash on Court 1 until 8:40 p.m. local time, having had to wait for the conclusion of Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s 4-hour, 26-minute battle.
Although the American took an early 3-0 lead in the opening set, Bencic quickly erased the deficit and clinched the set. Gauff battled back strongly to force a decider, which began at 10:05 p.m., leaving the players with less than an hour to complete the match before the strict 11:00 p.m. curfew, which exists to avoid disturbing local residents.
With the clock ticking, the world No. 7 took control of the third set and secured a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory at 10:58 p.m., beating the curfew by just two minutes. After sealing her win, Gauff fittingly celebrated by tapping an imaginary watch on her wrist.
Just in time, @CocoGauff ⌚️
Match point: 22:58 BST
Deadline: 23:00 BST pic.twitter.com/nIe4MaMLRI— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2026
During her on-court interview, Gauff expressed delight at finally reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon after three previous losses in the fourth round. She also reflected on the frantic finishing, joking that she was relieved to have chosen tennis over basketball, where racing against the clock is commonplace.
“Super happy to be in the quarters finally. 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.’ Honestly 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,” Gauff said.
“I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis we’re used to not having a clock. But honestly today I felt the pressure. I’m glad I didn’t choose basketball,” she added.
The American, who found herself repeatedly checking the clock during the decider, also revealed that she was determined to avoid extending the match to Monday, July 6.
“Before the match, they told both of us at 11:00, da-da-da, the whole spiel,” she said. “We started the third set at 10:05. It should be enough to finish this set, but I don’t know. Then we had a couple long games. The next thing you know, it’s 10:45, and I was like, Oh, my goodness.”
“I did not want to come out here tomorrow. I was just trying to get up a break and stay up a break ’cause I was like, I’d rather come out here on serve up a break instead of the other way,” she added.
Standing between Coco Gauff and a spot in her maiden Wimbledon semifinal is No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula. Gauff will face a stern test in the all-American showdown, as Pegula enjoys a 5-3 lead in their head-to-head record.
