Coco Gauff’s latest trip to the US Open semifinals required considerably more survival instinct than style.
The 22-year-old American recovered from a disastrous opening set and twice came within a single point of elimination before defeating Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 in a tense quarterfinal at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff entered the match carrying considerable momentum, but Andreeva quickly disrupted it. The fifth seed raced through the opening stages as Gauff struggled to find consistency, particularly with her serve and forehand.
The first set disappeared in only 26 minutes. It also ended Gauff’s streak of 20 consecutive sets won, an impressive run that had stretched for nearly a month.
Things did not immediately improve.
Gauff accumulated 12 double faults and 42 unforced errors during the match, numbers that would ordinarily make a Grand Slam victory difficult to imagine. Yet when the match reached its most dangerous point, she found a way to stay alive.
Andreeva earned two match points during the second-set tiebreak. Gauff erased both and eventually captured the tiebreak 9-7, turning what appeared to be an imminent exit into a deciding third set.
The momentum shifted dramatically from there.
Having survived the second set, Gauff entered the third with renewed confidence and took control, winning it 6-2 to complete the comeback and extend her winning streak to 10 matches.
There was also an American source of inspiration behind the turnaround.
Gauff had watched Frances Tiafoe stage his own remarkable recovery at Arthur Ashe Stadium a day earlier. Tiafoe overcame a two-set deficit against Alex Michelsen and escaped a precarious position to reach the men’s semifinals.
That comeback remained fresh in Gauff’s mind when her own tournament appeared to be slipping away. Rather than trying to solve every problem at once, she concentrated on staying in the contest long enough to create another opportunity.
It worked.
The victory sends Gauff into her seventh Grand Slam semifinal before her 23rd birthday and marks her first appearance in the US Open final four since her breakthrough championship run in New York three years ago.
Perhaps more significant than the result was the manner in which she earned it. Gauff’s serving problems could easily have overwhelmed her, but she refused to allow a poor technical performance to dictate the outcome.
That resilience reflects a change from the player who left New York a year earlier frustrated by problems with both her serve and confidence. Gauff now appears more willing to accept that even significant improvements will not prevent occasional difficult matches.
When the tennis becomes unreliable, belief has become another weapon.
Gauff will need plenty of it in the semifinals, where second-seeded Elena Rybakina awaits. Rybakina, who is set to become the new world No. 1 following the tournament, defeated Gauff in their most recent meeting in Toronto.
Gauff knows the next challenge will include powerful serving and aggressive shot-making from the other side of the net.
After surviving two match points, 12 double faults and a miserable opening set, however, she has already demonstrated one valuable quality heading into the semifinals.
Getting Coco Gauff out of a tennis match can be considerably harder than getting ahead of her.
