Coco Gauff's Epic Comeback at US Open 2023

Coco Gauff stared down defeat, stared down two match points, and refused to blink.

Under the lights and under real pressure, the defending US Open champion dragged herself from the brink against Mirra Andreeva, turning a flat, error-strewn start into a ferocious 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 comeback that felt as much about nerve as it did about shot-making. The reward: a semi-final against incoming world number one Elena Rybakina and back-to-back Grand Slam last-four appearances.

From rout to revival

For 26 minutes, Gauff looked like a bystander in her own title defence.

Andreeva swarmed her. The Russian teenager took time away, took the ball early, and took the first set 6-2 with a ruthlessness that silenced the Arthur Ashe buzz. Gauff’s forehand leaked errors, her serve misfired, her body language tightened. A mismatch seemed to be brewing.

Then the match turned scrappy. And that suited Gauff just fine.

She twice went up a break in the second set, twice let Andreeva claw her way back. The rallies grew longer, the tension heavier. Rhythm deserted both players, replaced by a tug of war in which each service game felt like a small crisis.

The set came down to a 16-point tie-break that crackled with jeopardy. Gauff faced those two match points, backed into a corner with the crowd holding its breath. She played them like a champion: bold, committed, unafraid to hit through the ball. Andreeva blinked first. At 9-7, Gauff had dragged herself level, and the roar from the stands told Andreeva exactly what she was up against now.

Crowd, belief, and a champion’s edge

Once she escaped, Gauff surged.

The decider became a mental test, and the American passed it with authority. Backed by a partisan New York crowd that rode every point with her, she tightened her patterns, cleaned up the errors, and broke Andreeva’s resistance. The 6-2 final set scoreline reflected a player who had rediscovered her identity: aggressive when it mattered, resilient when it hurt.

Afterwards, Gauff pointed to a different comeback as the spark. She had watched compatriot Frances Tiafoe overturn Alex Michelsen on Tuesday night and carried that fight with her onto Ashe.

"At the end of the first set I was thinking about Frances and how he came back yesterday," she said. "We all want to do well in front of this crowd. Honestly, I was just trying to leave the court with no regrets."

No regrets, and no early exit. This run marks her first US Open semi-final since she lifted the trophy in 2023 and confirms a growing pattern: two-time major champion, now in consecutive Slam semi-finals, playing like someone who expects to be here.

It is also a throwback week for the women’s game. With Gauff joining Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Rybakina, all of the top four seeds have reached a major semi-final for the first time since Wimbledon 2009. The heavyweight names have held their nerve.

Rybakina holds firm

Waiting for Gauff is Rybakina, who had to dig herself out of a hole of her own earlier in the day.

The second seed dropped a set for the first time this tournament against Zheng Qinwen, losing the opener 6-3 and falling break-point down in the decider. Zheng pushed hard, but Rybakina responded like a soon-to-be world number one, snapping back with a 6-1 second set and edging the third 6-4.

It was not flawless. It did not need to be. It was composed.

Now comes a semi-final that feels like a statement match for both: Gauff, the defending champion riding the energy of New York; Rybakina, the incoming number one playing with the quiet certainty of someone who expects to own these stages.

One survived match points. The other shrugged off her first real scare of the fortnight.

Only one will walk into the final.