Coco Gauff survives Mirra Andreeva scare to reach US Open semifinals

Coco Gauff did not bring her best tennis to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday, but her survival instincts remain championship-grade.

The fourth-seeded American stared down two match points before rallying past Mirra Andreeva (2-6, 7-6, 6-2) in the US Open quarterfinals. What began as a one-sided showcase for Andreeva eventually became another reminder of Gauff's resilience and why she remains one of the sport's most dangerous players.

Gauff is the fourth American semifinalist in the tournament, joining Jessica Pegula along with Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe on the men's side. Gauff's now 6-0 career against Andreeva, closing out the Russian in two hours and 19 minutes despite a frustrating opening set.

Gauff will play second-seeded Elena Rybakina next. All top-4 seeds on the women's side are in the semifinals for the first time since 1975.

"I just had to reset," Gauff said after 42 unforced errors, many coming in the first two sets. "Honestly, I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back. We all want to do well in front of this crowd and I wanted to leave with no regrets."

Andreeva controlled the opening set and appeared ready to finish the job late in the second. She earned a break-point opportunity at 5-5, but sent a forehand into the net and handed Gauff the opening she desperately needed.

That miss seemed to changed the temperature of the contest and once Gauff stole the second set in a tiebreak after facing two match points, the outcome felt inevitable.

Gauff looked lighter in the third, moving with purpose and attacking with renewed confidence as Andreeva caved under pressure. Andreeva took pace off of her shots and moved the ball to Gauff's forehand early in the match before the American adjusted.

Gauff suffered 12 double faults in the match after contributing only 15 over her first four tournament match. At 3-1 in the third set, Gauff was in complete control as Andreeva tossed multiple rackets to the ground during the changeover after missing on a two-handed backhand at the net on serve.

Andreeva rarely looked at her coach in the third set, imploding after making things look effortless in the opening set of the match and nearly taking the second-set tiebreaker to win.

Gauff won the US Open in 2023 and is seeking her first grand slam since taking the Australian Open in 2025. She's two wins away from her third major at 22-years old and just proved that her best tennis isn't needed when she has the mental and athleticism advantage on the court.

It was not a flawless performance, and she will likely need a cleaner start against the remaining championship contenders. Surviving in a grand slam is not about perfection and often requires absorbing an opponent's best punch, trusting the moment and staving off elimination.

Gauff did all three Wednesday.