Coco Gauff was a point away from making her first Wimbledon final when disaster struck in the most shocking of ways.
The 22-year-old American was leading Karolina Muchova 9-8 in their third-set tiebreaker and appeared to have a prime opportunity to win the point and the match. After hitting a beautiful first serve, Gauff tried to pull off a drop shot but instead could only watch as it flew into the net.
Gauff then went on to lose the tiebreaker (12-10) and fell to Muchova, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6, in what was a thrilling semifinal match on Centre Court.
What makes it even worse is this was the first time Gauff had advanced to the semifinals at Wimbledon. Previously, her best finishes were three trips to the fourth round.
Gauff didn’t have to try to get tricky on that failed match point. She had the advantage over Muchova after her powerful first serve and could have kept her on her heels with anything but a drop shot. There’s a good chance she would have won the point and the match. Instead, her run at Wimbledon is over.
Muchova couldn’t believe how quickly things turned around for her after that mistake by Gauff.
"You're up and down in 10 seconds,” Muchova said in her post-match interview. “You have a match point, then match point down. It's no time to think, but very nerve-wracking. I'm really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in."
Lots of tennis fans couldn’t believe Gauff’s move on that point
Tennis fans watching the sensational match were in disbelief that Gauff tried a drop shot in that moment.
Coco Gauff has plenty of career ahead of her.
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) July 9, 2026
But if she never wins #Wimbledon, this failure to put away match point will surely haunt her forever. pic.twitter.com/mDDrOe3s6S
Thing is Karo was already moving and would have got to it if Coco actually made the drop shot anyway…
— Danny (@Emmagoatcanu) July 9, 2026
Should have been a normal forehand. That one is gonna sting for a while https://t.co/UwNXUjAD0d
Coco Gauff won't sleep well tonight. Why even attempt a drop shot at MP ? https://t.co/5MakcvtMT4
— Raul (@Raulgunner2) July 9, 2026
This is INSANE & honestly silly to even attempt on a Match Point you fought back so hard to get to
— Lou ♊︎ Lou (@Wxggxvxllx) July 9, 2026
😕 Coco Gauff damn sis pic.twitter.com/cDEbuBoCBi
Unforced Error of the DECADE. pic.twitter.com/OwnVkOQAMt
— Sabinelisickifansss (not dumb (maybe)) (@lisickifansss) July 9, 2026
Coco Gauff’s history at Wimbledon
Gauff had quite the Wimbledon debut back in 2019 when, as a 15-year-old, she stunned Venus Williams, who was one of her heroes, in straight sets in the first round. She would advance to the fourth round that year where she lost to Simona Halep in straight sets.
Here’s a look at how she finished in her other WImbledon appearances:
- 2021: Fourth round
- 2022: Third round
- 2023: First round
- 2024: Fourth round
- 2025: First round
Earlier this week, Gauff upset fellow American Jessica Pegula in three sets in the quarterfinals before losing to Muchova. Gauff had success against Muchova in the past, as she won six of their last seven matches. But this latest defeat is going to likely hurt for quite some time.
Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 French Open. On Thursday, she fell just short of getting a shot to win her first Wimbledon title.
What’s next for Karolina Muchova
With her win, Muchova becomes the fourth Czech woman in the last six years to play in a Wimbledon final. The No. 10 seed will face Linda Noskova, who defeated Marta Kostyuk in their semifinal match, on Saturday. This is the first time Muchova has made it to the Wimbledon final; Thursday’s match was the first time she had ever even played on the legendary Centre Court.
Gauff had high praise for Muchova after their match:
Coco Gauff had beautiful words for Karolina Muchova after losing to her at Wimbledon
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 9, 2026
“She’s someone that deserves more success with how talented she is. We have the head to head that’s leaned my way, but she’s not an opponent you want to face at any point in the tournament. I… pic.twitter.com/arFQvpS28D
Muchova beat Naomi Osaka in straight sets in the quarterfinals before edging Gauff in the semifinals.
