Coco Gauff reaches the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time in her career after a late-night, high-pressure match against Belinda Bencic. Multiple reports say Gauff won a three-set contest to avoid the tournament curfew, sealing the final points roughly two minutes before the 11 p.m. deadline. The match was played after an unusually late start, reported as 8:40 p.m., forcing Gauff to finish quickly to prevent an overnight suspension.
All outlets describe the same match outcome and scoreline: Bencic takes the first set 4–6, before Gauff rallies to win the next two sets 6–3 and 6–4. Yahoo Sports, The Independent and The Athletic also characterize the finish as particularly dramatic, highlighting that Gauff closed the match just in time. The Athletic reports that Gauff serves out the win with only minutes to spare.
With the victory, Gauff advances to the quarterfinal round where she is set to play Jessica Pegula, an all-American matchup. Coverage notes Gauff is “not used to” racing the clock and also references a high number of double faults during the match, including a stretch in the first set.
