Coco Gauff has booked her place in the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time since 2019.
Gauff, who has struggled at Wimbledon in recent years, defeated compatriot Claire Liu to advance on Friday evening.
The American superstar, a winner of two major titles, beat Liu 6-3, 6-7, 6-2 on Court One.
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Tracy Austin was left impressed by Gauff’s performance, stating that one particular element was ‘remarkable.’
Tracy Austin says Coco Gauff’s ability to reset against Claire Liu was ‘remarkable’
After losing the second set on tiebreak, one would not have blamed Gauff if she was rueing the missed opportunity to close out the match.
Gauff’s reaction to losing the second set was admirable: she did not let the mental strain of losing the second set get to her, instead making peace with her near-miss.
“It was really remarkable the way that Coco Gauff let that second set go but then can completely reset,” Tracy Austin, the youngest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era, said during her post-match analysis for the BBC.
“[She] put that in the rear view mirror and get back to her game.
“She played with more aggression, seemed to serve better. More tennis on the front foot.
“And now that we are getting into the second week that’s the kind of tennis she is going to have to play to get to the quarter finals for the first time.”
Austin also spared a thought for world number 146-ranked Liu, who performed superbly in the biggest match of her career to date.
“This Wimbledon has changed the trajectory of her career and to take a set off Coco Gauff is really going to give her a lot of hope and confidence,” Austin said.
After defeating Liu, Gauff will play 11th seed Belinda Bencic in the Wimbledon fourth round.
Bencic, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s event, defeated Anna Kalinskaya earlier on Friday.
Gauff has a 5-2 record against Bencic, last defeating the Swiss player en route to the 2026 Miami Open final.
In fact, Gauff has won three consecutive matches against Bencic, dating back to the 2025 Madrid Open.
| Tournament | Winner | Result |
| 2021 Adelaide | Bencic | 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 |
| 2023 Washington | Gauff | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 Australian Open | Gauff | 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2025 Indian Wells | Bencic | 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2025 Madrid | Gauff | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 2025 Beijing | Gauff | 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 |
| 2026 Miami | Gauff | 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 |
Coco Gauff discusses her recovery after beating Claire Liu
“I wasn’t really tired after the match two days ago and I don’t think I’ll be tired after this one,” Gauff stated in her post-match speech. “It’s grass so you are not playing too many long points.”
“I feel like I had a two set match at Roland Garros which was more physical than all my matches here.
“I’ll have an ice bath or something, I am still young so I honestly don’t really wake up sore the next day after a match. I only do that if I lift heavy and I’m not doing that in a tournament.
“Maybe in a couple of years from now, I will have a more thorough plan!”
The 24-year-old also admitted that she is not in her best form, despite advancing to the fourth round in south-west London.
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“I think I’m not playing my best tennis,” the major champion said. “Today I didn’t serve as well as I did in my last match but I held when I needed to.
“I feel more confident after my last two matches though. Both players I played were tough opponents and high level grass court players.
“Belinda will be the same, I think she is good on this surface as well, so it will be a tough one.”
