Coco Gauff Saves Match Points to Set Up Rybakina Semifinal Showdown

Coco Gauff demonstrated remarkable resilience, saving two match points during her dramatic comeback victory over Mirra Andreeva. The American star fought back from a set down to secure her place in the US Open semifinals, where she will face the soon-to-be world number one, Elena Rybakina.

After a dominant 26-minute opening set for Andreeva, Gauff found herself trailing. The second set was a hard-fought affair, with Gauff twice recovering from a break down before ultimately prevailing in a grueling 16-point tie-break to force a deciding set.

Fueled by the support of the home crowd, Gauff's tenacity proved decisive in what evolved into a significant mental battle. She ultimately sealed a 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 victory. Following the match, Gauff revealed that she drew inspiration from compatriot Frances Tiafoe's own comeback win the previous night.

This advancement to the final four marks Gauff's second consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearance and her first at the US Open since her championship win in 2023.

Interestingly, this is the first time since Wimbledon in 2009 that the top four seeds have all reached the semifinals of a women's singles major, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Jessica Pegula having also secured their spots on Tuesday.

"At the end of the first set, I was thinking about Frances and how he came back yesterday," Gauff shared, reflecting on her inspiration.

"We all want to do well in front of this crowd. Honestly, I was just trying to leave the court with no regrets."

Gauff also acknowledged the significant boost she receives from the home crowd, a factor she has learned to embrace after previously feeling the pressure of potentially "disappointing" her fans with a poor performance earlier in her career.

"I don't have that fear of disappointing them anymore. I'm just using that energy and knowing that when I step on this court, they're still going to have my back," she stated.

Earlier in the day, second seed Elena Rybakina overcame her first set loss of the tournament, and a break-point deficit in the decider, to defeat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Rybakina arrived at the US Open just 434 points behind Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings and her semifinal berth guaranteed her the world number one ranking for the first time in her career.