Coco Gauff rescued herself from the brink of defeat by fending off two match points and ultimately prevailing in three sets over teenage French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, earning a place in the semifinal where she will meet freshly crowned world No. 1 Elena Rybakina.
The American’s journey in this match was anything but smooth. After a disastrous opening set that lasted a mere 26 minutes, Gauff’s serve and forehand seemed to abandon her, yielding only three winners while committing 14 unforced errors, and she dropped the first set 2-6. The tide began to turn in the second set.
Gauff steadied her game, forcing a tiebreak that showcased her resilience. Andreeva, the Russian fifth seed, had two opportunities to close out the match but failed to convert, which visibly rattled her composure. Frustrated, she hurled her racket toward her chair, unintentionally sending it flying toward a nearby camera operator who had to leap aside to avoid injury. The incident underscored the mounting pressure on the young Russian.
Gauff eventually secured the victory with a 2-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 scoreline. After the match she credited a fellow American’s recent turnaround for her own mental reset. "I just had to reset," Gauff explained.
"I came out at the start not feeling the ball, giving her too many free points. Mirra was playing at a great level, but when I went to the restroom after the first set, I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday. We all want to do well in front of this crowd. I was trying to leave the court with no regrets; I didn’t know what the outcome would be.
You guys really helped pull me through." Commentators on Sky Sports Tennis praised Gauff’s tenacity. Marion Bartoli noted, "That was pure heart to find a way, somehow.
It doesn’t really matter the level; you just have to find a way on the day. She’s the one tomorrow in the semi‑final of the US Open.
If she wins the US Open, no one will remember her level here in the quarters. Coco Gauff is one of the only players in the world capable of winning a match like that." Tim Henman added, "It was amazing to watch because you have two brilliant players capable of playing some amazing tennis who, through serving issues and errors, became so tight and nervous.
The ball speed deteriorated, but that’s the beauty of tennis – it’s about keeping the ball in play and cutting out unforced errors. That will be a very difficult defeat for Andreeva to get over, having had match points in the second set. She will learn a lot from it and will be incredibly disappointed." Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina secured the world No.
1 ranking earlier in the day by defeating Qinwen Zheng and advancing to the semifinals. The 27‑year‑old Kazakh, who captured the Australian Open title earlier in the year, will replace Aryna Sabalenka, ending Sabalenka’s 99‑week reign at the top of the rankings on Monday. Rybakina’s ascent has been a storyline throughout the season, as she chased the top spot relentlessly. Even if Sabalenka were to win a third consecutive US Open title, Rybakina would still claim the No.
1 ranking for the first time in her career. Rybakina, speaking after her quarterfinal win, downplayed the significance of the ranking number and refocused on the immediate task. "It’s just a number right now, I’m only in the semis and the goal is to win every tournament I play," she said. "I feel like I just need to focus on my game and enjoy tomorrow." Her victory over Zheng was hard‑fought; after losing the first set 3-6, Rybakina rallied to take the next two sets 6-1, 6-4.
Zheng, who had endured nearly 12 hours on court through three qualifying matches and five main‑draw rounds, showed signs of fatigue in the decider. Rybakina reflected on the match’s intensity: "It’s tough to find words. It was a very difficult match, lots of nerves, maybe not the highest level but I’m glad I pushed through. I didn’t start that well, I was too negative.
It was a lot of unforced errors but I told myself to keep fighting." Despite the challenges, she displayed the aggressive baseline play that has become her trademark, especially in the latter stages of the match. Zheng, the 23‑year‑old from China, had been enjoying a Cinderella run reminiscent of Emma Raducanu’s breakthrough in New York. Although her campaign ended in the quarterfinals, she remains on the cusp of breaking back into the top 50 after a recent elbow surgery that had seen her ranking dip to 121.
Her performance, however, earned her considerable respect and highlighted her potential for future deep runs at Grand Slam events. Tim Henman, also commenting on Rybakina’s quarterfinal, praised her adaptability: "It ended up being a really good performance.
It wasn’t the best start from Rybakina, Zheng had something to do with that, but the way she responded in the second and third sets was impressive. She was more aggressive from the back of the courts. In that third set, when it was tight, Rybakina really did show her class." As the US Open progresses, the tournament will continue to be broadcast live on Sky Sports starting August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports App.
Fans can also look forward to the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, also shown on Sky Sports. The upcoming semifinal between Gauff and Rybakina promises a clash of two of the sport’s most dynamic young talents, each eager to add another major title to their burgeoning resumes.