Preview: Belinda Bencic vs. Coco Gauff - Wimbledon prediction, form, head-to-head

Seeking a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time, Coco Gauff will square off with Belinda Bencic on Sunday.

The 11th-ranked Bencic beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-4 4-6 7-6 (10-6), while her upcoming American opponent also advanced in three sets, defeating Claire Liu 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2.

Match preview

For a second successive occasion this year, Belinda Bencic is into the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament.

She has won over 70% of her first serves in all three of her matches at the All England Club, while claiming 80% or more of her second serves in two of her three outings.

A win for Bencic on Sunday would mark the second consecutive time that she has reached the quarter-finals or beyond in this tournament, having lost in the final four a year ago.

Bencic overcame an uncharacteristic eight double faults in round three, which was five more than she had committed in her first two matches combined.

Not since the 2023 fourth round of Wimbledon has she been eliminated from a singles match at the All England Club when winning the opening set.

In her three Wimbledon matches this year, Bencic has converted a combined 14 break points, including five on Friday.

Once again, she was pushed to a third set, but Coco Gauff was able to find another gear, converting six break points in her third-round affair.

Sunday will mark her fourth appearance in round four of this tournament, with the American losing in straight sets to Emma Navarro in 2024.

With a win on Sunday, she would advance beyond the last 16 of a Grand Slam singles event for the fourth time in her last five appearances in this phase of a major singles tournament.

At the event this year, the 22-year-old has won over 70% of her first serves in all of her outings and more than 50% of her second ones.

In her three previous fourth-round meetings on the singles draw at the All England Club, she did not win a single set.

She won 49 receiving points in her last match and overcame six double faults to claim another close victory at this tournament.

Tournament so far

Belinda Bencic:

First round: vs. Mika Stojsavljevic 6-2 6-1

Second round: vs. Wang Xinyu 7-5 6-0

Third round: vs. Anna Kalinskaya 6-4 4-6 7-6 (10-6)

Coco Gauff:

First round: vs. Tamara Korpatsch 6-2 6-1

Second round: vs. Solana Sierra 6-3 3-6 7-6 (10-7)

Third round: vs. Claire Liu 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2)

Head To Head

Adelaide Open (2021) - Semi-finals: Bencic wins 7-6 6-7 6-2

Mubadala DC Open (2023) - Quarter-finals: Gauff wins 6-1 6-2

Australian Open (2025) - Round of 16: Gauff wins 5-7 6-2 6-1

Indian Wells Open (2025) - Round of 16: Bencic wins 3-6 6-3 6-4

Madrid Open (2025) - Round of 16: Gauff wins 6-4 6-2

Beijing Open (2025) - Round of 16: Gauff wins 4-6 7-6 6-2

Miami Open (2026) - Quarter-finals: Gauff wins 6-3 1-6 6-3

The first contest between these two saw Bencic show her overall experience, coming through in a third set.

When these two squared off in the US capital two years later Gauff won over 60% of her first serves and converted six break points to claim the victory.

In Melbourne, in what was the first Grand Slam meeting between the two, Gauff came from behind, overcoming nine double faults while winning 77% of her first serves.

Later that year at the Indian Wells Open, Bencic evened the overall singles series against Gauff, winning 73% of her first serves while the American had eight double faults.

Gauff earned another win in Madrid that year over Bencic, thanks to her four break points while winning 85% of her first serves.

In China, Gauff claimed another close victory, winning 71% of her second serves with three break points to advance.

This year, they squared off in Miami in a match that saw Gauff hit six aces while winning 76% of her first serves.

We say: Gauff to win in three sets

It is rarely straightforward when these two face off, but Gauff has a little extra motivation this time around, while her youthful exuberance should help her the longer this match goes on.