Coco Gauff advanced to the US Open semi-finals and will play incoming world number one Elena Rybakina after a comeback victory that required saving two match points. The American lost the first set quickly, fought through a tense second-set tie-break and then controlled the decider to win 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2.
The Story in Pictures
The match opened poorly for Gauff, who won only five of the first 21 points and surrendered the opening set in 26 minutes. The second set became a tussle of momentum, with Gauff twice giving up a break advantage before forcing a 16-point tie-break. It was there she rescued the match, surviving two match points and eventually prevailing 9-7 in the tie-break to push the contest into a decider.
Once extended, Gauff imposed herself. Andreeva’s errors rose in the final set while Gauff pressured the baseline and served through key moments to finish 22 winners against 42 unforced errors, including 12 double faults.
Afterward Gauff reflected on her mindset, saying, "At the end of the first set I was thinking about Frances and how he came back yesterday. We all want to do well in front of this crowd. Honestly, I was just trying to leave the court with no regrets." Annabel Croft praised the transformation in Gauff’s play on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying, "You have to admire how Coco does this. She's done it so many times in her career. She's unrecognisable from the player at the start of this match. She was subdued and playing defensive tennis. By the end, she was completely controlling the match."
Andreeva acknowledged her own shift in emotion, admitting, "I felt like I was holding my emotions for too long, not reacting on a lot of points. At one point I felt like needed to let it out." The match underlined a contrast: Gauff’s resilience against Andreeva’s volatility.
Earlier in the day Elena Rybakina recovered from a set down and a break-point in the decider to beat Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-1 6-4. By reaching the semi-finals Rybakina is assured of becoming world number one for the first time, the first Kazakhstani to hold the top ranking, and sits two wins away from a second major this season after her Australian Open victory in January.
The US Open draw has produced a last four featuring the top four seeds, the first time that has happened at a major since Wimbledon in 2009, after top seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Jessica Pegula also progressed. Zheng’s run to the quarters was notable too; after elbow surgery in July 2025 she came through three qualifying rounds and moved from 121st to 52nd in the live rankings, though she still carries 65 points to defend for the rest of the season.
Gauff now turns her focus to the semi-final with Rybakina. The match will determine a Grand Slam finalist and offer Rybakina the platform to begin her spell at the summit of the rankings under the highest pressure of a major semi-final.
