Gauff Reaches US Open Semis Faces New No. 1 Rybakina

Coco Gauff advanced to the U.S. Open semifinals on Wednesday, staging a dramatic comeback against Mirra Andreeva after saving two match points. Gauff secured her spot in the final four with a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 victory and will face Elena Rybakina, who has clinched the world No. 1 ranking. Gauff, the No. 4 seed, overcame a slow start and a tense second-set tiebreak to defeat the fifth-seeded Russian. After dropping the first set, Gauff found her rhythm, drawing inspiration from fellow American Frances Tiafoe's comeback in his quarterfinal match. "I just had to reset. I came out not feeling the ball, giving her too many free points," Gauff said on court. "I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday." Her semifinal opponent, Rybakina, secured the top ranking in the WTA standings by defeating Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in her quarterfinal match. Rybakina's ascent to No. 1 will end Aryna Sabalenka's 99-week reign at the top of the rankings. "It's just a number right now," Rybakina commented on her new ranking. "Of course I'm in the semis, so my goal is to win the tournament.