On the courts of Flushing Meadows, where pressure has a way of revealing character, Coco Gauff turned a near-defeat into a testament to mental fortitude, saving two match points to overcome Mirra Andreeva and reach the US Open semi-finals. Across the draw, Elena Rybakina's clinical victory over Zheng Qinwen carried her not only into the final four but to the summit of world tennis — a first for any Kazakhstani player. The stage is now set for a semi-final collision between resilience and ascendancy, with all four top seeds advancing together for the first time in nearly two decades.
Gauff's Comeback Grit Sends Her to US Open Semis Against Rybakina
She was unrecognisable from the start of the match
Mark
How does a player lose the first set in 26 minutes and still find a way to win?
Mimi
Gauff said afterward she was thinking about Tiafoe's comeback the night before. Sometimes you need to see someone else do it first to believe you can.
Luke
But let's be clear—she was playing terribly. Forty-two unforced errors. Twelve double faults. She wasn't winning because she suddenly got better; she was winning because Andreeva fell apart under pressure.
Mimi
That's fair. But Gauff saved two match points in that tiebreak. That's not luck. That's composure when it matters.
Mark
What about Rybakina clinching number one? That seems like the bigger story.
Mimi
It is, but it almost feels secondary to how she got there. She's the first Kazakhstani player ever to reach number one in either gender.
Luke
And she did it by reaching the semis, not by winning the tournament. She's guaranteed it now, which is remarkable, but she still has to play Gauff.
Mark
What about Zheng? She came from 121st in the rankings.
Mimi
She beat Keys and Swiatek to get to the quarters. That's a genuine comeback story.
Luke
But she had her moment against Rybakina and didn't take it. That backhand pass miss in the eighth game of the third set—that's the match right there.
Mark
So we're looking at the top four seeds in the semis for the first time since 2009?
Mimi
Yes. It's a very different US Open than we usually see.
Der Puls
- Gauff was outplayed for long stretches — 42 unforced errors, 12 double faults, and a first set surrendered in just 26 minutes — yet refused to concede the match when it mattered most.
- Two match points against her in a 16-point tiebreak created the kind of knife-edge moment that ends seasons and defines careers.
- She erased both, steadied herself, and transformed into a composed, aggressive force — committing just two unforced errors across the entire final set.
- Rybakina, meanwhile, dispatched Zheng Qinwen efficiently enough to guarantee herself the world number one ranking, a historic milestone for Kazakhstani tennis.
- Zheng's own journey — from elbow surgery and qualifying rounds to a quarterfinal run that included upsetting Swiatek — gave the day its most bittersweet undercurrent.
- With all four top seeds now in the semi-finals for the first time since Wimbledon 2009, the women's draw has arrived at a rare moment of concentrated elite competition.
On the courts of Flushing Meadows, where pressure has a way of revealing character, Coco Gauff turned a near-defeat into a testament to mental fortitude, saving two match points to overcome Mirra Andreeva and reach the US Open semi-finals. Across the draw, Elena Rybakina's clinical victory over Zheng Qinwen carried her not only into the final four but to the summit of world tennis — a first for any Kazakhstani player. The stage is now set for a semi-final collision between resilience and ascendancy, with all four top seeds advancing together for the first time in nearly two decades.
Coco Gauff was in trouble from the opening game. Mirra Andreeva dismantled her in the first set in just 26 minutes, and Gauff's early statistics — winning only five of the first 21 points, piling up double faults — suggested a player far from her best. Yet she clawed back from a break down in the second set, survived a 16-point tiebreak that reached 9-7, and then dominated the third set to complete a 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 victory. The two match points she erased became the turning point of the entire match. From that moment forward, she struck just two unforced errors while Andreeva accumulated 14.
Gauff credited Frances Tiafoe's comeback win the previous night as an inspiration, and spoke about her evolving relationship with the Arthur Ashe crowd. No longer afraid of disappointing them, she said she had learned to draw energy from their support instead. It was her first US Open semi-final since lifting the trophy in 2023, and her second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearance.
Elena Rybakina secured her own place in the last four by defeating Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-1 6-4, a result that also guaranteed her the world number one ranking — a historic first for any Kazakhstani player of either gender. Having already won the Australian Open earlier in the year, Rybakina now stands two victories away from a second major title in a single season.
Zheng's defeat carried its own poignant weight. The 23-year-old had returned from elbow surgery ranked 121st, navigated three qualifying rounds, beaten Madison Keys from 0-5 down in the third set, and upset eighth seed Iga Swiatek to reach the quarterfinals. Against Rybakina she had her moments — a break in the first set, a break point in the decider — but a missed backhand pass and a double fault at critical junctures closed the door. She leaves New York ranked 52nd, her story one of remarkable recovery shadowed by the narrowest of near-misses.
With Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula also advancing, the semi-finals will feature all four top seeds for the first time since Wimbledon 2009, setting up what promises to be the most elite conclusion to a women's draw in years.
Coco Gauff was dismantled in the opening set. Andreeva took it in 26 minutes, 6-2, and Gauff found herself chasing from the start of what should have been a straightforward quarterfinal. But something shifted as the match wore on. The fourth seed clawed back from a break down in the second set, saved two match points in a 16-point tiebreak that went 9-7, and then dominated the third to win 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2. The American's path to the US Open semifinals was secured, and with it came a date against Elena Rybakina, the incoming world number one.
Gauff's performance was uncharacteristic in its messiness. She struck 42 unforced errors against just 22 winners, double-faulted 12 times, and won only five of the first 21 points played. By any measure, she was playing poorly. Yet she found a way to stay in the match when it mattered most. After that double fault to open the tiebreak—a moment that felt like it might end everything—she steadied herself. The two match points she faced and erased became the fulcrum on which the entire match turned. From that point forward, she was a different player: composed, aggressive, in control. In the final set, she hit just two unforced errors while Andreeva hit 14.
Gauff later said she had been thinking of Frances Tiafoe, her American compatriot, who had pulled off his own comeback victory the night before. She also spoke about the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, how she had learned to draw energy from them rather than fear disappointing them. "I don't have that fear of disappointing them anymore," she said. "I'm just using them and knowing that when I step on this court, they're still going to have my back." This was her first US Open semifinal since winning the title in 2023, and it marked back-to-back Grand Slam semifinals for the two-time major champion.
Meanwhile, Rybakina had secured her own path to the semis by defeating Zheng Qinwen 3-6 6-1 6-4. The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan arrived at Flushing Meadows trailing Aryna Sabalenka by just 434 ranking points, and reaching the semifinals guaranteed her the world number one ranking for the first time in her career. She became the first Kazakhstani player, male or female, to reach the top of the rankings. Rybakina had already won the Australian Open earlier this year and was now two wins away from a second major title in a single season.
Zheng's loss, while decisive, carried its own narrative weight. The 23-year-old had dropped out of the top 100 after elbow surgery in July 2025 and had to navigate three qualifying rounds just to reach the main draw. She was ranked 121st coming into the tournament. Yet she beat Madison Keys from a position of 5-0 down in the third set, saved match point against her, and then upset eighth seed Iga Swiatek to reach the quarterfinals. Against Rybakina, she had her chances. She broke late in the first set and held that lead into the second. In the decider, she earned a break point in the eighth game but missed a routine backhand pass. She fought back from 0-40 to deuce in the next game but then followed a loose backhand with a double fault. The opportunity was gone. Zheng's ranking had climbed to 52nd, and she had only 65 points to defend for the rest of the season, but the what-might-have-been against Rybakina lingered.
The semifinals would feature all four top seeds for the first time since Wimbledon in 2009. Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula, the first and third seeds, had both advanced on Tuesday. The stage was set for an elite-level competition, with Gauff's mental resilience and Rybakina's ascendant form about to collide.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I don't have that fear of disappointing them. I'm just using them and knowing that when I step on this court, they're still going to have my back.— Coco Gauff on playing in front of the home crowd
She's unrecognisable from the player at the start of this match. She was subdued and playing defensive tennis. By the end, she was completely controlling the match.— Annabel Croft, former British number one, on BBC Radio 5 Live
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