Karolina Muchova defeated Coco Gauff, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 [12-10] in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
In one of the most memorable moments of this year’s Championships, Gauff missed a golden opportunity to reach the final when she hit a forehand into the net on match point at 9-8 in the third-set tiebreak.
Minutes later, Muchova sealed her place in the Wimbledon final, where she will meet her countrywoman, Linda Noskova.
Who will win the 2026 Wimbledon women’s final?
An all-Czech clash!
Former three-time Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick has now delivered his verdict on Gauff’s heartbreaking semi-final defeat.
Andy Roddick says Coco Gauff is more likely to win Wimbledon now than she was before the tournament
During the latest edition of ‘Quick Served‘, Roddick had his say on Gauff’s Wimbledon exit.
“Listen, people will be like ‘she was tight’, and I would say yeah, that is what happens,” said Roddick.
“That is what happens when you are about to go to a Wimbledon final.
“Yes, it means something to you and manifests in your body in a certain way.
“The goal is to be better at being nervous. That is the goal.
“Fed [Roger Federer] got nervous, Rafa [Nadal], you think of this guy that was a gamer and a competitor, and he says [in his documentary] that he had such anxiety that he had a hard time drinking water sometimes.
“If we project forward with Coco [Gauff]. If she ever wins this event, which is way more likely now than it was 10 days ago, she is going to look at this year and say that is the year where I finally figured out how to play on grass.”
Before Wimbledon began, Gauff hadn’t won a grass-court match since the 2024 season.
The American still hadn’t figured out how to play her best tennis on the surface, and looked at risk of an early exit at SW19.
But as she so often does, Gauff proved her doubters wrong, displaying her trademark fighting spirit to win four three-set matches en route to the semi-finals.
Coco Gauff at Wimbledon (2026)
- 1R [WIN] vs Tamara Korpatsch, 6-2, 6-1
- 2R [WIN] vs Solana Sierra, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6
- 3R [WIN] vs Claire Liu, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
- 4R [WIN] vs Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
- QF [WIN] vs Jessica Pegula, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
- SF [LOSS] vs Karolina Muchova, 2-6, 6-1, 6-7
Although she missed out on a place in the final, Gauff can be proud of her efforts at the All England Club, advancing past the fourth round for the first time in her career.
Coco Gauff’s Grand Slam performance timeline
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Latest performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | SF – 2024 | QF – 2026 | 20-7 | 74% |
| French Open | W – 2025 | 3R – 2026 | 29-6 | 83% |
| Wimbledon | SF – 2026 | SF – 2026 | 16-7 | 70% |
| US Open | W – 2023 | 4R – 2025 | 20-6 | 77% |
Whether she can build on this result and make an even deeper run in 2027 remains to be seen.
Andy Roddick makes comment about ‘phenomenal’ Karolina Muchova ahead of her first Wimbledon final
Roddick was also keen to credit Gauff’s opponent, Muchova, who will play her first Wimbledon final on Saturday.
“Props to [Karolina] Muchova. She is a complete player and is fun to watch,” he said.
“This is not her first Grand Slam final, and it’s her fourth final weekend of a Slam; she’s been in the semis of the US Open twice.
Karolina Muchova’s best Grand Slam results
- 2026 Wimbledon – F
- 2023 French Open – F
- 2024 US Open – SF
- 2023 US Open – SF
- 2021 Australian Open – SF
“She is so much fun to watch, she is streaky. I watch her in this tournament and I can’t figure out how she ever loses first or second round, yet she does it quite a bit.
“She is phenomenal.”
Muchova lost her first Grand Slam final to Poland’s Iga Swiatek at the 2023 French Open.
She was a big underdog that day in Paris, but that won’t be the case when she walks onto Centre Court for her Wimbledon final against Noskova on Saturday, July 11.
