Coco Gauff beats Bencic and Wimbledon curfew to reach first quarter-final

Race against the clock

Gauff and Bencic took to Court One at 8:40pm, the latest start in Wimbledon history, after a five-set men's match ran long. The roof was closed and the 11pm curfew, set by Merton Council, left them two hours and 20 minutes to finish. Gauff dropped the first set 6-4, hitting five double faults in one game, but found her range to take the second 6-3 and force a decider.

Deciding set drama

Gauff broke early in the third, only for Bencic to break back. With the clock ticking, Gauff served for the match at 10:56pm. She fired an unreturned wide serve on match point and tapped her wrist in celebration. The American hit 35 winners to Bencic's 19, though she also committed 46 unforced errors and nine double faults.

I was looking at the clock the last service game. Honestly that match point I was going for serve and volley to finish it. This was probably my most dramatic match. I'm not used to racing against time.

Curfew rules

Wimbledon's 11pm curfew has been in place since 2009, when the retractable roof on Centre Court was installed. Merton Council said the condition balances residents' interests with the scale of the event. Only once has an exception been made: Andy Murray's 2012 win over Marcos Baghdatis was allowed to finish at 11:02pm.

The 11pm curfew is a planning condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area.

What's next

Gauff, the seventh seed and a two-time major champion, had reached the fourth round six times before without advancing further. She will face fellow American Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.