Coco Gauff reaches the US Open semi-finals and will meet Elena Rybakina, who will become the tournament's new world No 1, with a place in the final waiting for the winner. The 22-year-old recovered from a dismal start to beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2, moving into the last four in New York for the first time since her breakthrough at the event three years ago.
The Story in Pictures
Andreeva seized control early, racing through the opening four games and wrapping the first set in 26 minutes. Gauff’s serve faltered throughout the match, producing 12 double faults, and her forehand produced a catalogue of errors — she finished with 42 unforced errors. At one point in the second-set tiebreaker she stood one point from defeat twice, facing what looked like an imminent exit.
Rather than fold, Gauff shifted her aggression and began converting the chances she manufactured. She tightened her ball striking, steadied serve enough to survive the tense breaker, and carried momentum into a more assured third set. The victory extended her winning run to 10 matches and underlined a pattern in her game, where psychological resilience often compensates for lapses in execution.
Gauff credited an emotional spark from a recent comeback on the same court, saying, "Sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration, and Frances was that for me in that moment." She also framed the result in terms of mental control, adding, "Honestly, just believing is all I can do. I mean, the game may not always show up, but, you know, I can control the belief in myself." She conceded the serving problems but insisted the trend remains positive.
The win also reinforced Gauff’s precocity at majors. She has now reached seven Grand Slam semi-finals before turning 23, a tally among active players only bettered at that age by Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Next up is Rybakina, a player Gauff lost to in their most recent meeting in Toronto, a rematch that will test whether Gauff’s resilience can overcome the serve-and-power game she will face in the semi-final.
