July 9, 2026, 11:46 AMKarolína Muchová defeated Coco Gauff on Centre Court in a thrilling semifinal match Thursday, advancing to her first career final at The Wimbledon Championships.After dropping the first set 6-2 to world No. 10 Muchová, world No. 7 Gauff, 22, battled back to take the second set 1-6 before the final nail-biter third set was decided by a tie-break 7-6 (10).Karolina Muchova of Czechia celebrates defeating Coco Gauff of United States in their semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 9, 2026.Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesCoco Gauff of United States and Karolina Muchova of Czechia embrace at the net after Muchova defeated Gauff in their semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 9, 2026.Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesMuchová, 29, completed the intense back-and-forth final set with 12 points to secure her spot in the final, which will be held Saturday at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in London.Coco Gauff of United States reacts against Karolina Muchova of Czechia during their semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 9, 2026.Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesGauff, a two-time Grand Slam champion from Delray Beach, Florida, was the last American standing for both women and men at the third major of the year.Coco Gauff of United States plays a forehand against Karolina Muchova of Czechia during their semifinal match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 9, 2026.Andrew Couldridge/ReutersGauff's quarterfinal win over fellow American Jessica Pegula on July 7 earned her a spot in the tournament semifinals for the first time.She also made history with her July 7 win, making her the youngest player to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slams.Popular ReadsMuchová's previous best Grand Slam finish was runner-up at Roland Garros in the 2023 French Open, where she lost to Iga Świątek.Muchová will face the winner of Thursday's next semifinal match between Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk and Czechia's Linda Nosková.