From the Brink to the Final Four
Coco Gauff delivered one of the grittiest performances of her career at Arthur Ashe Stadium, clawing back from a set down and two match points down to defeat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2 in a quarter-final full of nerves, errors, and genuine drama. The fourth-seeded American was outplayed completely in a first set that lasted just 26 minutes, and she also failed to hold onto breaks at 4-2 and 5-3 in the second. A double fault at the start of the tie-break felt like a bad omen, but Gauff held her nerve through 16 intense points to force a deciding set. From there, Andreeva's game fell apart, and Gauff capitalized with authority.
Gauff credited the energy of the New York crowd and the inspiration of Frances Tiafoe's own comeback win the previous night for helping her reset mentally. "I was thinking about Frances and how he came back yesterday," she said. She also spoke generously about Andreeva's racket-throwing incident in the third set, which nearly struck a courtside cameraman, saying she understood the frustration and did not think Andreeva deserved heavy criticism for it.
A Loaded Semi-Final Draw
Gauff's victory completed a remarkable women's draw at this year's US Open, with the top four seeds all advancing to the semi-finals. That has not happened at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2009. Gauff now faces Elena Rybakina, who secured the world number one ranking by reaching the semis after ending Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week run at the top. Rybakina beat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in her own quarter-final. Despite 42 unforced errors and 12 double faults on the day, Gauff's clutch resilience carried her through. TennisDraw users who backed Gauff to advance past this round are looking smart heading into a blockbuster semi-final week.
