Coco Gauff knows what she is up against in her U.S. Open semifinal against Elena Rybakina, whose firepower has vaulted her to the top of the tennis rankings.“I know I'm going to have some aces hit on me and some winners hit on me, but I'm going to keep fighting and give it my all,” Gauff said. “That's all I can do.” That's how Gauff earned her first title in Flushing Meadows and why she's still in the running for another.Gauff fought off a couple match points in a tiebreaker and beat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Wednesday to set up matchup against the new No. 1 in women's tennis.Gauff overcame a horrible start to give herself a chance at a second U.S. Open trophy. She won the tournament in 2023, when she had to shake off a similar rough beginning against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.Andreeva, the French Open champion, won the first seven points and took the first set in 26 minutes before the No. 4-seeded Gauff regrouped. She said during the break after the first set she thought about fellow American Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets down in his quarterfinal match a day earlier.“So, honestly I was just trying to literally leave the court with no regrets,” Gauff said.
Elena Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, celebrates winning a match against Qinwen Zheng, of China, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships
