Coco Gauff managed to rescue herself from the brink of defeat, saving two match points before clinching a three‑set triumph over teenage French Open champion Mirra Andreeva. The victory propels Gauff into a semifinal encounter with freshly crowned world No.
1 Elena Rybakina, setting the stage for a high‑stakes showdown at Flushing Meadows. The opening set was a nightmare for the 2023 US Open champion.
Gauff’s serve faltered, her forehand disappeared, and she was overwhelmed by a barrage of unforced errors. She managed only three winners while committing fourteen mistakes, and the set slipped away in a rapid 26 minutes, leaving her down 0‑6.
The second set told a different story. Gauff found a rhythm, extending rallies and tightening her serve.
The set progressed to a tiebreak, during which the Russian fifth seed, Andreeva, squandered two match‑point opportunities. The pressure visibly rattled the teenager; after missing a crucial point she tossed her racket toward her chair, unintentionally sending it spinning toward a nearby camera operator, who had to jump aside to avoid it.
With the momentum shifting, Gauff seized control, taking the tiebreak 7‑6 (7) and riding that surge into the third set. She dominated the decider 6‑2, completing a remarkable comeback that underscored her resilience and mental toughness. After the match, Gauff explained that she drew inspiration from a fellow American’s recent resurgence.
"I just had to reset," she said. "At the start of the second set I wasn’t feeling the ball, giving her too many free points. I went to the restroom after the first set and thought about Frances Tiafoe’s comeback yesterday.
We all want to perform well for this crowd. I wanted to leave the court with no regrets, not knowing what the outcome would be.
The fans really helped pull me through." Former French Open champion Marion Bartoli, speaking for Sky Sports Tennis, praised Gauff’s heart. "That was pure heart to find a way, somehow. It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing at; you just have to find a way on the day.
She’s the one tomorrow in the US Open semi‑final. If she wins the title, no one will remember her level in the quarters. Coco Gauff is one of the few players capable of pulling off a win like that." Tim Henman, also for Sky Sports, added his perspective: "It was amazing to watch because you had two brilliant athletes capable of spectacular tennis, yet serving issues and errors made them tense and nervous. The ball speed dropped, but that’s the beauty of tennis – you have to keep the ball in play and cut out unforced errors.
It will be a tough loss for Andreeva, especially after having match points in the second set, but she’ll learn a lot from it and will be deeply disappointed." Earlier in the tournament, Elena Rybakina secured the world No. 1 ranking by defeating Qinwen Zheng and booking her spot in the semifinals. The 27‑year‑old Kazakh, who captured the Australian Open title earlier in the year, will overtake Aryna Sabalenka, ending Sabalenka’s 99‑week reign at the top of the rankings on Monday. Rybakina has been chasing the No.
1 spot all season and will claim it for the first time in her career, even if Sabalenka goes on to win a third consecutive US Open title. Rybakina, speaking after her quarterfinal win, downplayed the ranking milestone.
"It’s just a number right now. I’m only in the semis; the goal is to win every tournament I play," she said.
"I just need to focus on my game and enjoy tomorrow." The match against Zheng was Rybakina’s first set loss of the fortnight, but she rebounded strongly in the second set. Zheng, who had endured nearly 12 hours on court through three qualifying rounds and five main‑draw matches, finally showed signs of fatigue in the decider.
Rybakina prevailed 3‑6, 6‑1, 6‑4, acknowledging the difficulty of the contest. "It was a very difficult match, lots of nerves, maybe not the highest level but I’m glad I pushed through," Rybakina admitted. "I started poorly, was too negative, made many unforced errors, but I told myself to keep fighting." Zheng’s run in New York had echoed the fairy‑tale ascent of Emma Raducanu, but the 23‑year‑old Chinese player’s journey ended in the quarterfinals.
Despite the loss, she remains on the cusp of breaking back into the top 50 after slipping to 121 following elbow surgery. Henman also praised Rybakina’s performance: "It turned out to be a very good performance. It wasn’t the best start for Rybakina, Zheng contributed to that, but the way she responded in the second and third sets was impressive.
She became more aggressive from the back of the court, and in that tight third set she really showed her class." The US Open continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports from August 30, with streaming options available on NOW and the Sky Sports app. Fans can also attend the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from September 25‑27, where additional high‑level tennis action will be on display.