Coco Gauff defeated Belinda Bencic on Sunday to make her first quarter-final at Wimbledon.
Gauff won the match two minutes before the 11 p.m. curfew. With an unreturned serve on the final point of a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, Gauff tapped her wrist as if it were a watch, serving out the victory just two minutes before the deadline.
The curfew rule was introduced in 2009, when the All England Club installed a retractable roof on Centre Court so play could continue later. However, locals and the city council did not wish to have thousands walking past their homes in the early hours of the night.
“The 11pm curfew is a planning condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area,” Merton Council said.
“The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration.”
Hence, the play stops strictly at 11 p.m.
Only once in recent history has the game gone past 11, and that was in 2012 when Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis in four sets at 11:02 p.m.
It was already 11 with Murray 5-1 in the fourth set and about to serve for the match. According to the tournament organisers, it was “common sense” that prompted them to give the two-minute extension despite the strict rule.
Gauff was determined to win the match and wasn’t going to let the curfew get in her way. The crowd on court no. 1 was doing plenty to appreciate her with chants of ‘Coco, Coco!’ as Gauff jumped around the grass when it was over, delighted and relieved in equal measure. She described the win as the “most dramatic finish” to a match she had played in during her on-court interview.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff said: “It was a thriller, honestly. I think this was so far my best match of the tournament, probably one of my best grass matches ever. I’m definitely proud of the level I brought today.”
From the start, Gauff played perfectly. Even after losing the first set, Gauff didn’t get discouraged, as she kept attacking Bencic.
In the first set, which was won by Bencic 6-4, Gauff was serving at 120 mph, but her forehand started to malfunction. However, a faulty forehand looks even worse on grass due to the low bounce of the ball. Bencic used this flaw to her advantage by hitting the ball to Gauff’s forehand. She ultimately made too many errors, losing the set.
In the next game, Gauff was too tentative with the shot, and Bencic was still able to break and then serve out the set 6-4.
“After the first set, I feel like almost every time I missed — on both sides, honestly — it was because I was committing and I just missed my target,” Gauff said.
“I think it’s a feeling I have to remember, because sometimes I’m thinking, ‘What if I made the shot?’” she added. “Also, I’m like, ‘I should just go for it.’ Anyways, if I just put it in, especially on the surface, I’m probably going to lose the point anyway. I’d rather commit and go for it.”
Before the start of the final set, Gauff had all the momentum she needed. She won the first game by breaking Bencic’s serve. In the next set, too, Gauff played well, but Bencic hit a forehand to get a tie. She won that game and then broke Gauff’s serve to tie the set at 2-2.
As the match neared the curfew, both were playing extremely well. At one point, Bencic hit a volley straight at Gauff’s chest, but Gauff somehow managed to block it and hit a winning shot.
Gauff broke at 4-2 before forcing a breakpoint for 5-2. Instead, after a long game, Bencic held for 4-3, and at 10:47 p.m., that match could have been anybody’s.
After trading holds, Gauff came out to serve for the match at 10:55, knowing she had only 5 minutes to try and make her first quarter-finals at Wimbledon, but it turns out she needed only three to do so.
