Coco Gauff explains how Frances Tiafoe inspired comeback quarter-final win at 2026 US Open
· Yahoo Sports
U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff booked her place in the 2026 US Open semi-finals with a comeback 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 win over No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva
Gauff lost the first set without putting up a fight and had to battle through two match-point tiebreaks in the second set to avoid falling to an 0-2 deficit in this US Open clash.
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Gauff’s comeback win was impressive, but it pales in comparison to what Frances Tiafoe pulled off yesterday, and Tiafoe’s win was on Gauff’s mind during her clash.
Coco Gauff admits Frances Tiafoe inspired her comeback US Open win
Gauff spoke to the media after defeating Andreeva in the quarter-final, admitting that thinking about Tiafoe’s comeback against Alex Michelsen gave her the fuel she needed to see this through.
“I’m gonna be honest, I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday. We all want to do well in front of the crowd. Honestly, I was just trying to leave the court with no regrets, I don’t know what outcome was going to come.”
Tiafoe and Gauff have been friends through their shared years on the American tennis circuit, with both ranking among the highest-ranked players in the world.
Both head into their next match in the semi-finals as underdogs, as Gauff takes on incoming WTA World No. 1 Elena Rybakina and Tiafoe faces No. 8-ranked Ben Shelton fresh off eliminating Carlos Alcaraz.
How does Coco Gauff’s comeback win compare to Frances Tiafoe’s?
Tiafoe’s circumstances were much harder to overcome, as the 28-year-old was two whole sets down and a break from elimination, before also falling back 0-3 in the fifth set.
Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty ImagesHis match against Michelsen was also four hours and 38 minutes long, twice the length of Gauff’s win over Andreeva.
With men’s singles being best-of-five and women’s singles being a best-of-three, Gauff’s margin for error after losing the first set was definitely much lower.
She did overcome two match-point situations against Andreeva in the second set to keep her comeback alive, so it’s hard to compare the two, although Tiafoe’s experience was definitely more gruelling.
The other women’s singles semi-final pits Aryna Sabalenka against American Jessica Pegula, opening up an opportunity for an all-American final between Pegula and Gauff if they beat their higher-ranked opponents.
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