LONDON — Coco Gauff had just the shot she was looking for.
Seven years after breaking through at Wimbledon by reaching the fourth round as the youngest qualifier in the grass-court Grand Slam’s history, the 22-year-old American player was on the verge of reaching the women’s singles final at the All England Club for the first time.
All she needed to do was execute what appeared to be a manageable putaway on her first match point.
The thing is, it’s never that simple in a major semifinal, especially toward the end of a decisive super tiebreaker Thursday on Centre Court — the sport’s most hallowed ground.
Gauff fluffed a forehand drop-shot attempt into the net, and Karolina Muchova went on to close out a drama-filled tiebreaker and win, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10).