Coco Gauff defeats French Open champion Mirra Andreeva to set up a semi-final clash with Elena Rybakina at the 2026 US Open

Coco Gauff continued her push for a second US Open crown with a gritty comeback victory over Mirra Andreeva.

The 2023 champion saved two match points in the second set tie-break before battling back to reach the last four courtesy of a 2-6 7-6 6-2 success in two hours and 19 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

”I think I just had to reset. I came out not feeling the ball and giving her too many free points and Mirra was playing a great level," said Gauff in her on-court interview.

”In the rest room, honestly, I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday. We all want to do well in front of this crowd, so I just wanted to leave this court with no regrets."

She added: "I think the motto of the match is just to fight."

Expectations were high following Gauff’s superb performance in her victory over Iva Jovic last time out, but the New York crowd were silenced early on as 19-year-old Andreeva powered into a 4-0 lead.

The American was lacklustre and struggled to find consistency off her forehand, leading the 22-year-old two-time Grand Slam champion to lose the opener in just 26 minutes.

Gauff’s problem-solving skills helped her respond in the second set as she broke to lead 4-2. However, a flurry of breaks saw the fourth seed blow set point and Andreeva hit back to level and force a tie-break.

The Russian had two match points but could not convert as Gauff’s famous fighting spirit came to the fore, inspiring her to snatch the breaker 9-7 and force a decider.

The momentum remained with the former champion and she moved into a 3-1 lead early in the third as the teenager struggled to keep a lid on her frustrations.

Indeed, Andreeva looked completely lost as Gauff ran away with it, breaking again before serving out to 30 to tee up a last four meeting with Elena Rybakina.

It's Coco's comeback triumph once again!

The American serves out to 30 on her second match point to send the French Open champion home after a real show of resilience at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The fourth seed will now face Rybakina in the last four.

Surely that’s the killer blow.

Andreeva implodes with a quartet of forehand errors.

It’s the insurance break to love and the former champion will now serve for the match.

Gauff plants down a fourth ace and ends a routine hold to 15 with a stonking 1-2 punch off the backhand to stay on course for victory.

The psychology of the H2H may well be playing its part now with Coco 5-0 up in the match-up and the Russian teen thinking it's a case of same old story at this juncture....

Mirra starts to think clearly again after internally combusting and she looks sharp and ruthless in a clean hold.

To say that was much-needed is something of an understatement, but she still has plenty of work to do from here.

Coco consolidates with an ice-cool hold to love and Andreeva needs a quick reset to stand a chance from here.

Andreeva has a meltdown from 30-0 up, rushing a backhand wide and then prodding a bizarre overhead into the net.

It’s a moment of indecision that throws up break point, but the Russian still has a big chance to save it.

Coco doesn’t do enough with a volley but the French Open champion turns down the open court and instead slams a backhand straight into the net.

It's too much for the teenager this time as she throws her racquet away in disgust.

More frustration for Mirra as Gauff bites back from 0-30 to dig out a hold with flurry of volleys.

Andreeva quickly puts that huge disappointment behind her as she lets out a defiant cry in response to bagging a hold to 15 to kick off Set 3.

Yet another match at the 2026 US Open is going the distance!

Andreeva is left to rue missing two match points, allowing Gauff to somehow claw her way back into this quarter-final and take the breaker 9-7.

We've seen this movie a fair few times before, so the big question is whether Mirra can rewrite the script?

Mirra throws the kitchen sink at Coco but the American’s incredible defence sees her nick a 39-shot rally with a sensational drop shot to lead 5-3.

The French Open champion comes storming back and Coco blinks to cough up match point.

Gauff probes and resists before luring a pass long to take us to another change of ends.

Coco kicks things off with a 12th double fault, but a topsy-turvy breaker sees the crowd erupt when the American edges a lovely cat and mouse at the net to lead 3-2.

Andreeva is frustrated and sizzles a forehand just wide to trail at the change of ends.

Mirra opens with a double fault and faces up to 15-30 when the longest rally of the match ends with her slice defence being undone as a result of a poor decision with the dropshot.

The Russian conjures up a clutch serve to steady the ship before two Coco misfires off the forehand take us into a breaker.

This crowd are doing everything they can here.

Indeed, every point Coco wins is greeted by huge cheers.

It seems to unnerve Mirra a touch as she fails to convert another break point and allows Gauff to scramble to safety via deuce.  

Andreeva recovers from an instant double fault and takes charge of the game at 30-15 with a fizzing forehand.

Coco defends brilliantly on the next point but Mirra keeps finding the corners and eventually a shattered Gauff slams a backhand into the net under pressure.

There’s no escape this time around as the Russian posts the hold to 15 to back up the break back and level the set.

Gauff throws in a ninth and 10th double fault but still manages to earn set point with just her second ace of the contest.

Andreeva pushes to deuce with a rasping forehand up the line and Coco collapses from there with another double fault and a tame forrehand into the net.

Oof.

Now it’s Mirra’s turn to lose her confidence on serve as she throws in back-to-back double faults before dumping a routine volley into the net to break herself to 15.

Gauff has a brain-freeze with a high bouncing dropper that Andreeva picks off with a forehand pass to make Pulp (30-30).

The American responds with a driven, low backhand to the baseline but slips a tame forehand wide to extend the game to deuce.

Andreeva lines up a raking backhand pass to earn break back point but Coco backs up a deep plus-one with a ruthless volley at the net.

The fourth seed fends off a second BP with a clutch serve but misfires off both flanks to allow Mirra back into it on a third.

Andreeva makes life tricky for herself with a loose forehand long and a backhand into the net, but a scorching forehand down the line earns her game point.

A cagey rally ensues and it’s Mirra who blinks first with a backhand beyond the baseline.

Coco lures the Russian forward with an acute-angled slice and Mirra just misses with a backhand down the line before shaky strike off that wing also flies off the island to give the American lift off in her comeback bid!

It’s all about Mirra misfiring there as she gives Coco some cheap points with poor returning and a forehand well wide into the alley.