NewzNEW YORK, United States (AFP) -- Coco Gauff saved two match points in rallying to defeat reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 in a US Open quarter-final on Wednesday. Fourth-ranked Gauff, a 22-year-old American and two-time Grand Slam winner, advanced to Thursday's semi-finals, where she will face Kazakh star Elena Rybakina. Rybakina will jump to world number one in next week's rankings after beating Chinese qualifier Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
"Elena is the new world number one," Gauff said. These are the moments you live for." Rybakina has a 1-1 career record against Gauff, winning a semi-final last month in Canada after Gauff won their only other meeting in Canada in 2022. Current world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and third-ranked American Jessica Pegula will meet in the other semi-final.
Gauff won all five prior meetings with Andreeva, including a victory on the way to the 2023 US Open title and another in this year's Rome quarter-finals. Fifth-ranked Russian teen Andreeva won her first major title at Roland Garros but was foiled in her bid to beat Gauff despite owning two match points in the second set tie-breaker. I came out not feeling the ball, giving her too many free points," Gauff said.
Andreeva dominated the opening set, but Gauff broke for a 4-2 edge when Andreeva sent a backhand long only for the Russian to break back in the seventh game when Gauff sent a forehand wide. Andreeva netted a forehand volley to surrender a break in the eighth game but Gauff, serving for the set in the ninth game, netted a forehand for a fourth consecutive break as they battled into a tie-breaker. "I was just trying to leave the court without regrets," Gauff said.
Gauff rescued two match points in the tie-breaker when Andreeva smacked forehands wide and long, then captured the final two points for the set when Andreeva sent a forehand long then netted a forehand. In the third set, Gauff broke for a 2-1 lead, seized another break and a 5-2 edge when Andreeva netted a forehand and then held for the victory. Coco Gauff saved two match points as she fought from a set down to beat Mirra Andreeva and set up a US Open semi-final against incoming world number one Elena Rybakina.
Blown away in a 26-minute opening set, fourth seed Gauff was twice pegged back from a break up in a scrappy second set before coming through a 16-point tie-break to force a decider. Roared on by a partisan crowd, the American’s resilience proved the difference in what became a mental battle as she closed out a 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 win – a performance she said was inspired by compatriot Frances Tiafoe’s comeback victory over Alex Michelsen on Tuesday night. Progression to the last four marks back-to-back Grand Slam semi-finals for the two-time major champion and her first in New York since winning the title in 2023.
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