By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) – American Coco Gauff saved two match points to beat Russian fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2 on Wednesday and reach the U.S. Open semi-finals after recovering from a dreadful opening set.
The 2023 champion had none of her usual firepower at first and was on the ropes in the tiebreak before she flipped the script and closed out the match with a forehand strike, dropping her racket to the court in joy and relief.
She faces second seed Elena Rybakina in the last four.
“The motto of the match was just to fight,” said Gauff.
Andreeva looked completely at home in Arthur Ashe Stadium as she sprinted through the first four games, never allowing Gauff to set up a break-point chance in the opening set where the Russian had just five unforced errors to 14 from her opponent.
Gauff, who took a break in the locker room between sets, took inspiration from her compatriot Frances Tiafoe, who recovered from two sets and a break down on Tuesday night to reach the semi-finals on the men’s side.
“I just had to reset. I came out not feeling the ball, giving her too many free points,” said Gauff. “I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday. And we all want to do well in front of this crowd.”
Gauff finally found some momentum in the second set and was serving for the match in the ninth game when old issues with her serve resurfaced and she produced three double faults, allowing her opponent to break back.
Undeterred, Gauff recovered her poise and deployed a perfectly placed backhand to win a 39-shot rally, twice saving match point before forcing the third set with a forehand shot to the corner that Andreeva could not contain.
She kept up the pace from there and Andreeva flung her racket at her bench in disgust after dropping her serve in the third game of the decider. Gauff broke her to love in the seventh game to put the contest completely out of reach.
She faces a formidable foe in Rybakina, who claimed the top ranking with a win earlier in the day over Zheng Qinwen.
Gauff and the Kazakh second seed have one win apiece in career head-to-head, with Rybakina winning their most recent encounter in the semi-finals in Toronto last month.
“Elena – she’s the new world number one so it’s going to be a tough match,” said Gauff. “I’m looking forward to the battle. These are the moments you live for.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; editing by Clare Fallon)
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