Wimbledon 2026: Coco Gauff overcomes tough third-round match vs. Claire Liu to advance

Coco Gauff hasn’t had the easiest time at Wimbledon during her career. During Friday’s third-round match against Claire Liu, it looked like Gauff could once again suffer an early defeat at the Grand Slam.

But Gauff managed to rally after dropping a set to Liu, pulling out the victory (6-3, 6-7, 6-2) and moving on to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Things started well for Gauff, who cruised through the first set, winning it 6-3. But Liu offered resistance in the second set, eventually forcing a tiebreak. The tiebreak was close, but a double fault by Gauff led to Liu taking the tiebreak and the set.

That resulted in the two going to a third and final set.

Gauff seemed to settle in after her struggles in the tiebreak, taking the first two games of the third set to snag an early lead. Liu battled back, however, taking the third game. The pair traded the next two games, keeping things close. Determined to not let things get too tight, Gauff picked up wins in the next two games, putting her just one game away from the victory.

Leading 5-2 in the final set, Gauff was able to close it out. With the win, she advances to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the fourth time in her career.

Of all the Grand Slams, Wimbledon has proved the most difficult for Gauff. The 24-year-old has now reached the fourth round at the event four times. In her three previous appearances, she failed to advance past the round.

After winning the U.S. Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025, Gauff only needs to win Wimbledon and the Australian Open to complete her Grand Slam. Until this year, she’s come closer at the Australian Open, reaching the semifinals back in 2024. She’ll look to match — or best — that performance if she can keep up her winning ways at Wimbledon.

For Liu, Friday’s third-round appearance at Wimbledon marked the furthest she’s ever progressed at a Grand Slam. The 26-year-old had made 19 Grand Slam appearances prior to Wimbledon this year, but never advanced past the second round at any of them. She fought valiantly to continue that run Friday, pushing Gauff to a third set before ultimately falling.

With the win, Gauff will take on Belinda Bencic in the fourth round Sunday. By seeding, the match should be close, as No. 7 Gauff is just a slight favorite over the No. 11 Bencic.

But it might not be as close as it looks on paper. The pair have met seven times in their careers, with Gauff holding a 5-2 record over Bencic.