Russian princess surrenders to US hard-court queen at US Open quarterfinals

(US Open 2026 results) Coco Gauff saves two match points before coming back to beat Mirra Andreeva, advancing to the semifinals where she will face Asia's top-ranked player Elena Rybakina.

The 2023 champion Coco Gauff overcame the "Russian princess" Mirra Andreeva with a score of 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 in the US Open 2026 quarterfinals. The American stood on the brink of defeat but fought tenaciously to save two match points and complete the comeback on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Gauff had a difficult start, struggling to find her rhythm and repeatedly making errors on her groundstrokes. Andreeva capitalized by winning the first four games straight, not allowing her opponent any break opportunities in the opening set.

The difference was also evident in unforced errors. While Andreeva made only five, Gauff had 14 and let her opponent close out the set 6-2.

Gauff left the court to go to the locker room during the break between sets. The American admitted she thought of the comeback of her compatriot Frances Tiafoe, who had just escaped a two-set and a break deficit to secure a spot in the men's singles semifinals.

"I needed to start over. When I began, I had almost no feel for the ball and gave her too many easy points. I thought about Frances Tiafoe and his comeback. All of us want to perform well in front of the home crowd," Gauff shared.

That inspiration helped Gauff gradually regain confidence in the second set. However, familiar issues with her serve suddenly returned when she was serving to close out the set in the ninth game. Three consecutive double faults allowed Andreeva to reclaim the break and push the match into a tug-of-war.

Gauff was again pushed to the limit in the tiebreak. The 22-year-old faced two match points but saved both, including a 39-shot rally that ended with a precise backhand. After escaping danger, Gauff fired a sharp forehand into the corner to win the tiebreak 9-7, forcing a decisive set.

The momentum of both players shifted in opposite directions in the deciding set. Andreeva could no longer maintain her composure and threw her racket toward the bench after losing her third service game. Gauff kept up the pace, earning another break to love in the seventh game before closing the set 6-2.

After the final forehand winner, the American dropped her racket to the court in a mix of joy and relief. "The message of this match is simply to keep fighting", Gauff said of her escape at Arthur Ashe.

Gauff's opponent in the semifinals will be Elena Rybakina, who just defeated Zheng Qinwen (Zheng Qinwen) and is guaranteed to rise to world No. 1. The two players are tied 1-1 in head-to-head meetings, with Rybakina winning their most recent encounter at the Toronto semifinals last month.