Wimbledon quarter preview: Bad Homburg final rematch & all-American battle in store

WIMBLEDON -- Four players remain in the top half of 2026 Wimbledon draw, and on Tuesday all four will compete at the All England Club for a spot in their first-ever Wimbledon semifinal.

In a rematch of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz' Bad Homburg final, No. 10 seed Karolina Muchova seeks her second straight grass win over No. 14 seed Naomi Osaka, while No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula will make her first-ever appearance on Centre Court against fellow American and No. 7 seed Coco Gauff. 

Here's everything to know about Tuesday's quarterfinals:

Order of play: July 7

Centre Court
1:30 p.m.: [4] Jessica Pegula (USA) vs. [7] Coco Gauff (USA)
Followed by: Men's singles
Followed by: TBD

No. 1 Court
1 p.m.: Men's singles
Followed by: [10] Karolina Muchova (CZE) vs. [14] Naomi Osaka (JPN)
Followed by: TBD

Muchova vs. Osaka preview

Head-to-Head: Tied at 3-3
Last meeting: Muchova d. Osaka 6-1, 1-0 ret. at 2026 Bad Homburg final

For the second time in as many tournaments, Muchova and Osaka will clash for the seventh time in their careers. This time, the circumstances are different and the stakes are much higher. Nine days ago, Muchova lifted her third career singles title and second of 2026 by defeating Osaka in the Bad Homburg final. Though Osaka was forced to retire with a precautionary foot issue, Muchova looked dominant throughout and has carried that great form into Wimbledon.

At the All England Club, Muchova is into her third quarterfinal at the event after four straight first-round exits from 2022-25. She's a big matches person, particularly on grass, and the more she's played this season, it's helped her get a strong footing on the surface that can be so unpredictable. 

"I think those years, these one and two years, I played really good, that's why I get to quarters," Muchova said Sunday on quarterfinal runs in 2019 and 2021. "Those years where I lost first round, I didn't. It's pretty simple.

"The grass is very specific. I think we did a great decision that I played two tournaments before Wimbledon so I get few more matches to feel better on the grass. Every match gives you something [that] you can never get it in a practice."

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam hard-court champion, alike is playing the best grass-court tennis of her career. Bad Homburg was her first final on the surface, and she's guaranteed her best result at Wimbledon in her career. Handing World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka her first straight sets defeat at a Grand Slam since the 2020 US Open, Osaka overpowered the four-time Major champion, a feeling Sabalenka felt was "strange."

"I would say my relationship with grass and Wimbledon [wasn't] the best when I was younger," Osaka said. "I'm not really sure why I feel so comfortable on grass now this year. I think I've done a lot of drills with [coach] Tomasz [Wiktorowski]. Most of them weren't necessarily even on grass court. It was more like pattern recognition and things like that, getting me comfortable with my own game."

Part of the adjustment is a significant change in mentality after a defeat to Iga Swiatek in Rome. Osaka said Sunday that after that loss a couple months ago, she "shut everyone out" and hopped on the plane home, but realized, with her at 30 years old, she just needs to enjoy every moment. 

"I felt really ashamed about what I did," Osaka said to press. "So then after that I just told myself, like, 'Hey, I'm nearing 30, I really got to enjoy the time that I have.'

"Obviously tennis is very, very important to me, but I have a life outside of that. I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much importance on it."

Pegula vs. Gauff preview

Head-to-Head: Pegula leads 5-3
Last meeting: Pegula d. Gauff 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-2 at 2025 WTA Finals Riyadh group stage

This all-American gets renewed in 2026 as the top-two highest seeds remaining battle for a spot in their first Wimbledon quarterfinal. They'll meet for the third time in grass, having split their previous two meetings, both more than two years ago. 

Gauff enters off a buzzer-beater-esque win over 2025 semifinalist Belinda Bencic. The American served out her three-set thriller with just two minutes to spare before the 11 p.m. curfew. It hasn't been the easiest road to the quarterfinals for Gauff, who has won her last three matches in three-sets, including coming back in a 10-point tiebreak vs. Solana Sierra in the second round. 

The 21-year-old's resilience and spectacular movement on the grass has guided her to her best result at the All England Club, and she's poised for another matchup against a flat hitter, an aspect that made Bencic a difficult opponent for Gauff.

"Honestly, playing someone like [Bencic] on grass is not sometimes the best matchup for me," Gauff said. "Super flat hitter. The grass just enhances it more. I think it definitely gives me confidence knowing I can. I feel like a lot of the baseline exchanges I was winning. It wasn't all me defending, things like that.

"It's going to be kind of similar [with Pegula]. It will be the third flat hitter I've played in a row. I think the last two matches I've had definitely gave me prep for her. She's really consistent and gets a lot of balls back and can also play really aggressive, too."

Pegula's comeback win over Iva Jovic moved her into her 10th Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career, and first at Wimbledon since 2023. Jovic was her toughest tasked throughout the tournament, and finding a rhythm and strong serve led to the stronger performance in the final two sets. Pegula has now beaten Jovic on all three surfaces this season. 

The 11-time singles title winner on the WTA Tour has yet to get that signature Grand Slam, and she's right on the doorstep. After her third round win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, she was asked about a "sense of urgency" in her career in terms of winning that Grand Slam or achieving certain goals that she wants to accomplish in her career

If you asked her earlier in her career, she might give a different answer, but Thursday, she said that whatever happens, happens. 

"I think it will work out the way that it works out, whether that's me winning a Slam, whether I don't win a slam, whether that's when I retire, decide to start a family or none of those things," Pegula said. "Whatever kind of happens happens. It's definitely something that has crossed my mind.

"You can't really look at it as so much pressure. I think it's just knowing where you are, where you're at, being content with that, just letting it unfold with what you want to do."