American star Coco Gauff pushes for a breakthrough first career victory at Wimbledon

Coco Gauff has made a habit of arriving on tennis’ biggest stages ahead of schedule. Wimbledon, however, with its unpredictable footing and fickle bounces, has made her wait.

As a 15-year-old, the American announced herself to the tennis world by upsetting five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams on her way to the fourth round.

Since that dazzling run in 2019, however, the 22-year-old hadn’t advanced that far again. And she seemed to be regressing on grass: She came into London without a win on the surface in two years.

“We don’t have the best relationship,” Gauff acknowledged at her pre-Wimbledon press conference.

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This month’s turnaround has been so dramatic that even the preternaturally upbeat Floridian was unprepared for her success.

“Oh my God, how?” Gauff said toward her box on Centre Court Tuesday when quarterfinal opponent Jessica Pegula’s final backhand found the net in a tough 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win.

Now Gauff and her next opponent, Karolina Muchova, face off Thursday for a chance to transform their mutually uneasy relationships with the green blades beneath their feet into the biggest grass-court breakthrough of their careers.

If No. 7 seed Gauff has been somewhat allergic to grass, metaphorically speaking, Muchova literally is.

The crafty 10th-seeded Czech, whose slices and volleys are perfectly suited to Wimbledon’s low-bouncing surface, carries a medicine cabinet’s worth of remedies to prove that the All England Club’s famous lawns can be a real irritant.

“I’m allergic,” Muchova confirmed after defeating four-time major champion Naomi Osaka of Japan 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. “I have pills, a lot of pills. Pills, sprays, eye drops.”

Gauff’s world-class speed, elite counterpunching and relentless competitiveness always made it likely she would solve grass eventually. The difference this fortnight is that she’s playing on her own terms instead of letting her past demons on the surface interfere.

“I just really honed in on my game and realized I don’t have to play a spectacular point every time to win, even though there were some spectacular points,” Gauff said. “I think just trusting myself, trusting that my groundstrokes are good enough to be with anyone on this surface.”

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But she’s surpassed her expectations by reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time. How would she have reacted before the tournament if she’d been told she’d be at this stage?

“You’re funny,” Gauff giggled.

For years, Wimbledon has been the one Grand Slam that never quite agreed with Gauff’s all-court game, a stretch that belied her promising breakthrough seven years ago.

Coming into Wimbledon without a grass-court win in 24 months, Gauff lost her opening match at the Berlin Tennis Open. Mired in a drought, she toyed with entering another last-minute tune-up tournament to chase the match victories that usually build confidence. Instead, she and her team decided to skip the extra competition and dedicate her time solely to practicing her fundamentals.

Gauff drilled her footwork, working to optimize her explosive speed for a slippery surface where hard stops and aggressive sprinting can often backfire. She abandoned preconceived notions of beautiful grass-court tennis, opting instead to figure out how to get the best out of her extreme Western forehand grip and heavy topspin on grass. She accepted that she didn’t have to play a highlight-reel point every time, relying instead on her unparalleled athleticism.

“I just feel regardless of how the rest of this tournament goes, I really think I’ve found, like, a bit of a breakthrough on grass,” Gauff said.

Still, the London fortnight hasn’t been a walk in the park.

Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open and 2025 French Open champion, has battled through three sets in each of her last four matches — but that’s what she does best. The American has a 78% winning percentage overall in three-set matches at majors, best among active players with more than six wins.

“The longer the match goes on, you kind of feel like things are going into her favor,” said former No.1 and ESPN analyst Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark.

Against fellow American Pegula, Gauff overcame her own early-match inconsistencies, particularly with a serve that wavered under pressure, but gradually broke the fourth seed’s rhythm and picked up her aggression, firing seven aces and winning a majority of rallies that stretched beyond multiple shots.

“She’s the best in the world at that,” 2024 U.S. Open finalist Pegula said. “She made me feel a little uncomfortable.”

Muchova, a 2023 French Open finalist, presents a completely different challenge than Pegula, whose flat strokes stay lower.

The 29-year-old’s natural tendencies are a great match for grass, though she exited in the first round here in each of the last four years. The timing of those results, however, often coincided with her return from injuries that left her far from her best.

The matchup of players who have found their form on grass should showcase Gauff’s counterpunching and defensive skills against Muchova’s clever use of the court’s geometry. It won’t be straightforward.

On paper, Gauff has owned Muchova with a 6-1 head-to-head record, but the Czech has looked sharp in reaching the last four with the loss of a single set, including a decisive 7-6 (4), 6-4 defeat of Osaka, who many tipped as the favorite after upsetting No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a round earlier. Also, Gauff and Muchova have never met on turf.

“I’m happy we have 0-0 [record] on the grass,” said Muchova, also making her Wimbledon semifinal debut. “That’s a bit better balance for me there.”

The other women’s semifinal pits recent French Open semifinalist and No. 12 seed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine versus No. 9 seed Linda NosKova of Czechia.

An always confident Gauff, of course, wants more.

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“Obviously I’m not satisfied,” she said. “I want to go all the way.”

If she ends up with the Venus Rosewater Dish winner’s trophy on Saturday, Gauff — the highest ranked player left in the draw — will both reclaim the mantle of top-ranked American and perhaps forge a cozier relationship with a surface that has vexed her for years.

Wozniacki isn’t picking favorites. Wimbledon has produced 10 different winners in the last decade, and in an Open-era first, all four women are first-time semifinalists. Plus, she said, her choices have jinxed some of the players she’s picked earlier.

“It’s wide open,” Wozniacki said.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.