Tuesday’s quarterfinal between Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will be the first Wimbledon All-American women’s singles match involving two top 10 seeds since Serena and Venus Williams met in the 2009 final.
Both Pegula and Gauff were looking forward to this match.
tennis express, equipment for a professional player
This couple has a rich history. They played together in the Olympics and Grand Slams, reached world No. 1 in doubles as a team, and faced each other eight times in singles, but never in a major tournament.
Their ninth meeting will be their biggest yet, with both players bidding for their first Wimbledon semi-final. Pegula is 8-0 against her countrymen in 2026 and has won 19 of her last 20 matches against her countrymen. Gauff is 6-0 against the Americans this season. The cream of the crop rises to the top.
“You know what? It’s really fun,” Pegula said after defeating Iva Jovic in three sets on Sunday to reach her second Wimbledon quarterfinal.
“I feel like there are a lot of us, there are those who are older than my age, and then younger girls, like Iva today, 18 years old. And then there is Coco, who is still so young, but already so experienced and established, and is a great champion.”
Pegula says the dynamics among American women are very different from what she sees among men.
“And you have all the boys,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know how old they are, but I think they act so young and they do it so fun and so silly. It’s really cool to watch. I think there’s so many of us that it’s really nice to support and push each other, and we get motivated by seeing each other do well. We practice with each other a lot and we kind of want those matches.”
Asked before Gauff’s win over Belinda Bencic whether she would like to face the world number three in the quarter-finals, Pegula didn’t hesitate.
“I’d really like to play Coco in the next round. I’d really like to see her win. I think it would be a lot of fun to have another match with the Americans. I’m proud of my country and where I come from and I think it’s a lot of fun.”
Gauff, who has split her two grass-court encounters with Pegula in her career, said facing Belinda Bencic and Claire Liu in her last two matches should help her prepare for Tuesday’s challenge.
“Honestly, it will be similar,” she said. “This will be the third flat hitter I’ve played in a row. I think the last two matches I’ve played have definitely prepared me for her. She’s always a tough opponent for me. I think she’s really consistent and returns a lot of balls and can play very aggressively.”
“I think this will be another one of those where I just have to be in it from start to finish.”