Coco Gauff will play Claire Liu in the third round of Wimbledon.
After defeating Tamara Korpatsch, 6-2, 6-1, and Solana Sierra, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 [10-7], Gauff advanced to round three, where she will meet her fellow American.
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But who is Liu? And who has she beaten on her way to the third round?
Meet Claire Liu – The world number 146 preparing to play Coco Gauff at Wimbledon
Liu, ranked 146th in the world, didn’t gain direct entry into the Wimbledon main draw, so she entered the qualifying tournament.
There, she defeated Depsina Papamichail, Kaitlin Quevedo, and Elena Pridankina to secure her place in the first round.
She then beat Belgium’s Hanne Vandewinkel and Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, setting up a mouth-watering third-round tie against the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Claire Liu’s 2026 Wimbledon campaign
- Q1 [WIN] vs Depsina Papamichail, 6-2, 6-1
- Q2 [WIN] vs Kaitlin Quevedo, 6-4, 6-4
- Q3 [WIN] vs Elena Pridankina, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
- 1R [WIN] vs Hanne Vandewinkel, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
- 2R [WIN] vs Zeynep Sonmez, 7-5, 6-3
Liu has never reached the third round of a Grand Slam before, so she will be entering uncharted territory when she walks on court to face Gauff.
The 26-year-old is a relatively unknown quantity, but she once looked like the ‘next big thing’ in American tennis.
Liu reached two junior Grand Slam finals, at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2017.
She lost in Paris, but defeated another American, Ann Li, in the junior Wimbledon final.
Li now resides in the top 30 (29th), while Liu has yet to break into the world’s top 50.
Claire Liu stats
- Age – 26
- Nationality – American
- Height – 5ft 7
- Plays – Right-handed (Two-handed backhand)
- Career prize money – $2,567,060
- WTA Ranking – 146th
- Career-high WTA Ranking – 52nd
- Best Grand Slam result – 3R (2026 Wimbledon)
- Grand Slam record – 8-19 (30%)
Liu never quite lived up to her potential, failing to make a successful transition from junior to professional tennis.
There were some impressive results, including a win over then world number-two, Ons Jabeur, at her home tournament in Tunisia, and a WTA 125 title in Paris, but she couldn’t find the consistency required to compete at the top level.
She never gave up, though, and despite a brief mental-health break in 2023 and a few injury problems, Liu has continued chasing her dream, fighting hard at the lower-tiered tournaments.
Liu was waiting patiently for her opportunity to shine, and here in London, she is shining brighter than ever.
At 26, Liu may still have her best years ahead of her, and a deep run at Wimbledon could give her the confidence she needs to emerge as a genuine WTA Tour star.
Reaching the second round at SW19, Liu has already risen 37 places in the ‘Live Rankings’, to 109th, and would make her top-100 return with an upset win over Gauff…
Does Claire Liu have a real chance of beating Coco Gauff at Wimbledon?
Liu will need to be at her best if she is to beat Gauff and qualify for the last 16, but will feel a lot more confident having seen the 22-year-old’s latest performance.
Gauff was anything but convincing against Sierra, and looked to be heading out of Wimbledon when she trailed 4-7 in the match tiebreak.
And even though Gauff fought back as she so often does to secure the win, had she played a more clinical opponent, she might have been on the flight home already.
Liu has been clinical throughout the tournament, converting 22 of her 37 break points at the All England Club.
She’ll need to maintain that level and focus when she takes on Gauff in the third round, searching for her second career top-10 win.
Gauff and Liu will meet in the third round on Friday, July 3, with the winner advancing to take on either Belinda Bencic or Anna Kalinskaya in the last 16.
