Coco Gauff reaches first Wimbledon quarter-final after Belinda Bencic fightback

LONDON: Coco Gauff secured a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time in her career after battling past Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a dramatic fourth-round contest that finished just two minutes before Wimbledon's 11pm curfew here at Court One on Sunday.

The seventh seed overcame a slow start and an error-strewn display to outlast the 11th-seeded Bencic, setting up an all-American quarter-final against Jessica Pegula.

Both players struggled to find their rhythm after a lengthy delay before taking to the court. Bencic, the 2021 Olympic champion and last year's Wimbledon semi-finalist, made the stronger start and claimed the opening set after Gauff sent a return into the net on Bencic's third set point.

However, Gauff responded impressively in the second set, raising her level with aggressive shot-making and greater consistency.

She broke Bencic's serve twice while surrendering her own only once, producing a delicate drop shot and a superb lob to force a deciding set.

The American maintained her momentum in the final set, striking confidently from the baseline and pinning Bencic deep behind the court.

Despite finishing with 35 winners, Gauff also recorded 46 unforced errors and nine double faults, but her attacking approach ultimately proved decisive.

With time running out before the All England Club's strict curfew, Gauff held her nerve, earning match point with an emphatic smash before sealing victory with a powerful serve that Bencic failed to return.

Reflecting on her performance, Gauff expressed her delight at reaching her first Wimbledon quarter-final.

"I'm super happy to be in the quarters finally - I don't know how many tries it's been," Gauff said.

"I was looking at the clock in the last service game and on that match point I was going for serve and volley as I was wanting to end the point.

"I'm not used to racing for time as we're not used to having to finish by a certain time."