The seventh seed and two-time Grand Slam winner, now the highest-ranked player left in the women's singles draw, was on the back foot from the start against a fourth-seeded opponent who broke her in the opening game.
Gauff got things under control in the second set, although she still had to survive two break points in the opening game, and halved the number of unforced errors as she fought back to break Pegula for 5-3 and hold serve.
The former U.S. and French Open winner led the match for the first time when she broke Pegula to go 2-1 up in the final set. Her opponent broke back to 3-3 but Gauff replied with another immediate break for 4-3, held serve and then Pegula fell at the first match point.
"Pretty insane, honestly" was Gauff's immediate reaction to the win. "Considering how I hadn't won a match on grass in two years before this tournament I'm definitely just really happy with how I played today."
Wimbledon 2026
Wimbledon is taking place from June 29th to July 12th at the All England Club in south-west London. With 128 players in the draw, it is the third of the four Grand Slams of the tennis season and the only one played on grass.
Men's singles draw and results | Women's singles draw and results | All you need to know about the tournament | Find all our Wimbledon coverage here