Coco Gauff kept her chances of winning a second US Open title alive by staging a comeback to defeat Mirra Andreeva in a match where she struggled to find her best tennis.
The 2023 champion battled back from a set down and saved multiple match points in the second to win 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 in a topsy-turvy encounter that saw both players struggle with their shot-making. Gauff hit 20 more unforced errors than winners (42) and won only 16 out of 42 points behind her second serve. Furthermore, she also hit 12 double faults compared to four aces.
It was a similar story for Andreeva, who started brightly before getting worn down by the home favourite. She also produced the same number of unforced errors, with 37 of them being in the last two sets.
“I think the moral of the match was just to fight,” Gauff said during her on-court interview.
Andreeva dominated the start of the clash at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Russian won 12 out of the first 16 points played before racing out to a 4-0 lead in less than 20 minutes. Heavily capitalizing on her rival’s forehand mistakes and double faults. Gauff struggled with her consistency throughout the opening set as Andreeva eased to a 6-2 lead. A performance that silenced the crowd and resulted in the American exiting the court for a toilet break, which turned out to be a turning point.
“I just had to reset. I came out, not feeling the ball, giving her too many free points and Mirra was playing at a great level,” Gauff said afterwards.
“In the restroom I was thinking about Francis Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday.”
Even more mistakes were unleashed in the second set, but from both players during what was at times a bizarre situation. Twice Gauff failed to keep hold of a break advantage. At one stage, she was a point away from having a 5-2 lead.
Nevertheless, the fourth seed somehow managed to force a decider by coming through a nerve-stricken tiebreak that featured plenty of tentative hitting from both players. Gauff saved two match points before taking it by hitting a deep forehand shot that her rival returned into the net.
Gauff’s resilience eventually pushed Andreeva over the edge, and she threw her racket after getting broken early in the decider. Andreeva’s fighting spirit was destroyed by the former champion, who sealed the comeback win with the help of a second break to love a few games later.
“You all want to do well in front of this crowd, so I was just trying to literally leave the court with no regrets,” Gauff commented.
Gauff will take on Elena Rybakina for a place in the final, who defeated Qinwen Zheng earlier in the day. The Kazakh will become the new world No.1 next week as a result of her run in New York.
“It’s going to be a tough match,” Gauff admits.
“The last time we played was a tough three-setter for me.
“I’m looking forward to the battle. These are the moments you live for and I’m excited.”
Their head-to-head is currently level at 1-1, with both matches going the full distance. Last month at the Canadian Open, Rybakina won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
“I expect that a lot of people are going to support her. It’s normal,” Rybakina said.
“I just need to stay aggressive.” She added.
As a result of Gauff’s win, it is only the second time in the Open Era that all of the top four seeds have made it through to the semi-finals of a US Open women’s tournament.
