TENNIS: Gauff beats Bencic and a curfew to reach first Wimbledon quarters

LONDON — American Coco Gauff advanced to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal after rallying past Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a match that ended just two minutes before Wimbledon's 11 p.m. curfew on Sunday.

After a delayed start and an inconsistent opening set, Gauff recovered to take control of the match with aggressive shot-making, finishing with 35 winners despite committing 46 unforced errors and nine double faults.

Bencic claimed the opening set after capitalizing on Gauff's mistakes, but the seventh-seeded American responded by breaking serve twice in the second set to level the match. Gauff maintained her momentum in the deciding set, keeping Bencic under pressure with powerful groundstrokes and precise shot placement.

Serving for the match as the curfew approached, Gauff earned match point with a smash before sealing the victory with a strong serve that Bencic was unable to return.

The win sends Gauff to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal, where she will face fellow American Jessica Pegula. A two-time Grand Slam champion, Gauff said she was pleased with her performance despite the challenging conditions and believes it was her strongest match of the tournament so far.

Wimbledon enforces an 11 p.m. curfew because the All England Club is located in a residential area of southwest London. The match concluded just before the deadline. -Reporting by Clare Lovell; editing by Clare Fallon/Reuters