Coco Gauff Battles Past Claire Liu in Wimbledon 2026 Third‑Round Thriller to Reach Fourth Round

Coco Gauff has often struggled at Wimbledon. In Friday’s third‑round clash with Claire Liu, she appeared headed for another early exit.

Yet Gauff fought back after dropping the second set, clinching a 6‑3, 6‑7, 6‑2 victory to secure her place in the fourth round.

She opened strong, taking the first set 6‑3. Liu pushed back in the second, forcing a tiebreak that she won after Gauff committed a double fault.

The match moved to a decisive third set.

Gauff steadied herself after the tiebreak, grabbing the first two games of the final set. Liu reclaimed the third game, and the contestants exchanged the next two. Determined to avoid a protracted battle, Gauff won the following two games, leaving herself one game from victory.

Up 5‑2 in the final set, Gauff closed out the match. The win marks her fourth appearance in Wimbledon’s fourth round.

Among the Grand Slam tournaments, Wimbledon has been Gauff’s toughest challenge. She has now reached the fourth round here four times, yet had failed to advance beyond that stage in her three prior tries.

Having captured the US Open in 2023 and the French Open in 2025, Gauff needs only Wimbledon and the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam. Her best showing Down Under remains a semifinal run in 2024.

For Liu, the third‑round showing at Wimbledon represented her deepest run ever at a major. The 26‑year‑old entered the tournament with 19 Grand Slam appearances but had never progressed past the second round. She pushed Gauff to a deciding set before falling short.

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