Coco Gauff was on the brink of elimination Wednesday in the second round at Wimbledon, just about a month after she was ousted from the French Open in the third round at Roland-Garros.
In fact, the No. 7 seeded American standout was two points away from packing her bags in London and saying another early goodbye to the All England Club. Then she flashed the brilliance she first showed the world exactly seven years ago to the day.
Back then, she put her 15-year-old self on the map by beating a 39-year-old Venus Williams in the first round of the storied Grand Slam. Flash forward to Wednesday, and Gauff pulled off a spellbinding comeback that reminded everyone of the talent the two-time major champion possesses.
Now 22, Gauff survived despite finding herself in a third-set bind against Argentina’s Solana Sierra. Down 5-4 in the final stanza and tied 30-30 in a potentially fateful 10th game of the set, Gauff began a sparkling turnaround. An ace slingshotted Gauff to victory in that game. She went on to break Sierra to take a 6-5 lead. Soon after, she dug deep to win a 10-point match tiebreak 10-7 after trailing 2-0 and then 7-4, thanks to six consecutive points down the stretch that sealed a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7) win.
It marked the first time Gauff notched a deciding-set tiebreak triumph in a major. She’ll now play compatriot Claire Liu in the third round. Gauff has never advanced past the fourth round at Wimbledon. She’s reached that point three times: first in 2019 in the aftermath of her head-turning feat versus Williams and then again in 2021 and 2024.
This story is being updated.
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