Rizky Amelia
Former champion Coco Gauff engineered an extraordinary comeback on Wednesday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, pulling off a remarkable rescue mission to defeat Russian fifth seed Mirra Andreeva and punch her ticket to the US Open semifinals. The American star found herself pushed to the brink of elimination after being completely outplayed in the early stages, but she demonstrated exceptional resilience by erasing two match points in a dramatic second-set tiebreak to completely alter the course of the match.
Gauff eventually secured the hard-fought quarterfinal triumph with a final scoreline of 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in New York City. The decisive moment arrived when she unleashed a clean, aggressive forehand strike that Andreeva could not track down, after which Gauff immediately dropped her racket to the blue hardcourt surface in a mixture of unbridled joy and immense relief.
The commanding finish stood in stark contrast to the opening stretch of the quarterfinal, where the 2023 US Open champion appeared out of sorts and struggled to generate her usual firepower from the baseline. Gauff repeatedly found herself on the back foot as her unforced errors mounted, while her younger Russian opponent played disciplined, authoritative tennis from the opening serve.
Andreeva looked remarkably composed and completely at home inside the world’s largest tennis venue, sprinting out of the gates to claim the first four consecutive games. The Russian never allowed Gauff even a single break-point opportunity across the entire opening set, committing just five unforced errors compared to 14 miscues from Gauff’s racket during a lopsided opening frame that ended in 2-6 defeat for the American.
Recognizing the need to halt Andreeva’s runaway momentum, Gauff took a scheduled break in the locker room between the first and second sets to clear her head. That brief respite away from the court allowed the American to calm her nerves, reassess her game plan, and mentally reset for what would become an exhausting physical and psychological battle.
Gauff later credited compatriot Frances Tiafoe for providing the mental blueprint for her turnaround. On Tuesday night, Tiafoe had thrilled the New York crowd by fighting back from a deficit of two sets and a service break to win his own men's quarterfinal match, offering a timely reminder of what was possible in front of a supportive home audience.
Reflecting on that pivotal locker room pause, Gauff explained that she realized she had stepped onto the court without a clean feel for the ball and was gifting Andreeva far too many free points. Remembering Tiafoe's inspiring comeback from the previous evening helped fortify her resolve to stage a similar recovery and perform well before the home fans.
"The motto of the match was just to fight," Gauff said afterward, underscoring the relentless competitive attitude that guided her through the darkest moments of the contest.
Gauff began to find her footing in the second set, building up momentum and positioning herself to serve in the ninth game. However, familiar problems with her serve abruptly resurfaced at the worst possible moment; Gauff produced three double faults in the game, opening the door for Andreeva to break back and extend the set into a high-leverage tiebreak.
Refusing to let frustration derail her, Gauff held her nerve in the tiebreak. She produced a masterclass in defensive resilience, deploying a brilliantly placed backhand winner to capture an exhausting 39-shot rally. She then survived two separate match points before ripping a forehand shot deep into the corner that Andreeva could not contain, taking the tiebreak 9-7 to force a third set.
The dramatic tiebreak escape completely shifted the psychological dynamic in Gauff’s favor, and she sustained that relentless pace into the deciding set. Andreeva’s composure began to unravel under the sustained pressure, culminating in the Russian flinging her racket toward her player bench in clear disgust after dropping her serve in the third game.
Gauff remained ruthless as the finish line approached, delivering a crushing blow by breaking Andreeva’s serve to love in the seventh game. That decisive break gave Gauff an unassailable 5-2 lead and put the contest entirely out of reach, paving the way for her to close out the victory in the very next game.
The dramatic quarterfinal triumph sets up an enticing semifinal showdown for Gauff against second seed Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh player represents a formidable obstacle as Gauff attempts to navigate the final stages of the Grand Slam tournament.
Rybakina arrives at the semifinal in peak form, having officially claimed the world No. 1 ranking earlier on Wednesday. The Kazakh star secured the top spot in the global rankings courtesy of a quarterfinal victory over China’s Zheng Qinwen.
The semifinal will mark the third career meeting between Gauff and Rybakina, with their head-to-head series currently level at one victory apiece. Rybakina captured their most recent encounter, defeating Gauff at the semifinal stage in Toronto just last month.
Gauff acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge awaiting her, praising Rybakina as the newly minted top-ranked player in the world while embracing the opportunity to compete for a place in the championship final. "Elena – she’s the new world number one so it’s going to be a tough match," Gauff said. "I’m looking forward to the battle. These are the moments you live for."
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