Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula had an encounter with Hollywood film star Hugh Jackman.
The American tennis players are currently in London competing at Wimbledon as a doubles pair in the women's event. Gauff and Pegula have already advanced to the third round after defeating Venezuela's Andrea Gamiz and Czech Republic's Anastasia Detiuc.
In the singles draw, they had different results, as the 7th seed Coco Gauff was eliminated in the first round by former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, leaving her only competing in the doubles alongside Pegula. Pegula entered the singles main draw as the 4th seed and has already reached the quarterfinals, defeating Lauren Davis, Cristina Bucsa, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, and Lesia Tsurenko along the way.
This is Pegula's best result at Wimbledon so far, and she has now reached her sixth quarterfinal in a Grand Slam: three times at the Australian Open, and once at the French Open, US Open, and now Wimbledon, although she has never reached the semifinals in any of these tournaments. On Tuesday, she will try to improve on that record when she faces Czech player Marketa Vondrousova.
Gauff and Pegula encountered the superstar film actor Hugh Jackman at Wimbledon. The Australian actor, known for his roles as Wolverine in the X-Men series and in The Greatest Showman, attended Wimbledon as he has done in previous years and took photos with several tennis players, including the two highest-ranked American women.
“Super Saturday at @wimbledon!!! Thank you @stansmithonline and your entire team for having us,” Jackman wrote on Instagram and post pictures with several tennis stars.
Both Gauff and Pegula reposted the photos with Jackman, expressing their excitement about the encounter:
“And this is where I regret that I don’t let people tag me,” Pegula wrote.
"!!!! ahhh," Coco Gauff wrote.
Gauff and Pegula have a great opportunity at Wimbledon, as the second-seeded duo Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova withdrew from the tournament due to the former French Open champion's injury. The Czech pair is currently the highest-ranked partnership, with Siniakova at the top and Krejcikova in the second position of the WTA doubles ranking.
Pegula is ranked third and Gauff is ranked fourth, and the small difference between them and the Czechs could have an impact on the top spot. If they reach the final or become champions, Pegula will become the new world No. 1 in doubles for the first time in her career, while Gauff will secure the second spot (she was previously the world No. 1 in 2022).
They are still awaiting their opponents in the third round, which will be determined on Monday in the match between the 14th-seeded duo of Haddad Maia/Azarenka and Zvonareva/Siegemund.