US player Coco Gauff reacts against Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova during their women’s singles semi-final tennis match on the eleventh day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2026. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE
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Coco Gauff will not be adding a Wimbledon title to her French Open and U.S. Open crowns.
No. 7 Gauff played an instant classic against No. 10 Karolina Muchova but couldn’t convert a match point and fell short 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(10) in 2 hours, 35 minutes in the semifinals. Gauff had been 6-1 against the Czech player coming in.
Muchova, 29, improved to 29-0 this year when winning the first set, while Gauff, 22, had 10 wins after dropping the first set. Muchova grabbed at her left side during the latter stages of the match but said afterward that she was “good.”
Muchova is bidding to become the latest Czech women’s star to win the Wimbledon title. She is into her second major final after losing the 2023 Roland Garros final to Iga Świątek.
No. 9 Linda Noskova, who is also Czech, will face No. 12 Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in the second semifinal following the Gauff-Muchova match.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 7: Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic plays in the women’s singles quarter-finals round match against Naomi Osaka (not seen) of Japan during day 9 of The Wimbledon Tennis Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 07, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Ray Tang/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
In the third-set tiebreak, both women elevated their level of play. Muchova raced out to a 4-1 lead. Muchova hit a diving forehand volley winner for 5-3.
With Muchova serving at 8-all, she got a time violation warning on her serve. She then sailed a backhand long, giving Gauff a match point at 9-8 on her serve.
Gauff could’ve ended it with a forehand drop shot winner but hit it into the net instead, and then smiled.
At 9-all, Muchova hit a brilliant forehand lob winner to bring herself to match point.
Muchova had a chance for a forehand volley winner but Gauff ripped a passing shot for 10-all.
Muchova then ripped an inside-out forehand winner for 11-10.
With Gauff serving, Muchova ended it with a two-handed backhand winner that Gauff hit into the net.
In the decisive third set, Gauff had chances to break at 4-all but missed a forehand badly down the line and missed a backhand by a slim margin. Muchova held for 5-4.
US player Coco Gauff returns to Czech Republic’s Karolina Muchova during their women’s singles semi-final tennis match on the eleventh day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 9, 2026. (Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE
AFP via Getty Images
In the first set, Muchova earned the first break for 2-1 when Gauff netted a forehand on break point.
After breaking a second time, Muchova closed out the first set with an ace to take it 6-2.
Gauff made 12 unforced errors against 7 winners in the first set and was 0-for-5 on break chances.
Muchova lost just one set en route to the semis.
Gauff had won 18 major matches after dropping the first set, but it wasn’t to be for a 19th time.
In the second set, Gauff broke for 3-1 with a running backhand winner.
She roared back and took advantage of Muchova’s errors en route to a 6-1 second set, holding serve at love to close it out.