LONDON (AP) — Tennis does not typically come with a visible countdown clock.
But for Coco Gauff at Wimbledon on Sunday night, the All England Club’s 11 p.m. curfew added a very real sense of urgency.
Gauff delivered just in time, sealing victory moments before play would have been halted.
With two minutes to spare before the curfew, Gauff converted her first match point, firing a wide service winner to book her first career trip to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Following her 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win over Belinda Bencic, Gauff pointed to the moment by tapping her left wrist with the fingers of her right hand, a playful nod to the perfectly timed finish.
Gauff later said the ending “kind of reminded me of” Kawhi Leonard’s famous shot for the Toronto Raptors in 2019, when the ball bounced on the rim four times before dropping in for the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history.
Had Gauff failed to close out the match in that game, play would have been suspended and resumed Monday.
“I was looking at the clock the last service game,” she said. “I was like, ‘I got to hit some big serves and some big shots.’ And honestly, that match point, I was going for a serve and volley because I was like, ‘I need to end the point.’
“That was probably the most dramatic finish. I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis we’re used to not having a clock. But honestly, today I felt the pressure. … Glad I didn’t choose basketball.”
Gauff did play basketball as a kid. But, she said, “I did not hit any buzzer-beaters.”
Gauff had reached the fourth round four times in her Wimbledon career – including during her breakthrough run as a 15-year-old in 2019. Now, for the first time, she’s gone one step further.
“I’m definitely hungry for more,” Gauff said. “But it’s a great accomplishment.”
Gauff’s quarterfinal opponent will be fellow American and occasional doubles partner Jessica Pegula, who beat Iva Jovic — another American — 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
“It will be the third flat hitter I’ve played in a row,” Gauff said. “The last two matches I’ve had definitely gave me prep for her.”
___
AP tennis:
