Coco Gauff pulled off an incredible comeback to defeat Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open. Next up, she takes on the new World No. 1, Elena Rybakina, on September 10.
To reach the final, Gauff will need to clean up her serve. She hit 12 double faults against Andreeva. Gauff has a 1-1 record against the Kazakhstani star, with Rybakina winning their most recent match at the Canadian Open semifinals.
Rybakina, however, knows the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium will be screaming Gauff’s name on Thursday night. “I expect that a lot of people are going to support her,” she told reporters. “We practiced many times. We played recently also, so we know each other. I’ll try not for my emotions to not let me play, and just enjoy.”
A star-studded crowd turned out to cheer on the 2023 US Open champ against Rybakina, including former first lady Michelle Obama. However, one particular celebrity nearly distracted her from the match the night before.
Coco Gauff Realized She ‘Can’t Lose’ With Issa Rae in the US Open Crowd
While Gauff is a superstar in her own right, she was blown away after looking up at the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium and spotting “Insecure” star Issa Rae.
After the match, Rae met with the 22-year-old, who couldn’t stop giggling. “I’m so happy, we were rooting for you,” Rae gushed.
Gauff revealed, “I saw you in the stands and I was like ‘I can’t lose in front of Issa!'” After the US Open shared a video their interaction on Instagram, Rae commented, “🥲.”
Coco Gauff Encouraged Issa Rae to Attend the Historic Ben Shelton vs. Frances Tiafoe Semifinal
The two women also shared a laugh over the comedian’s iconic red carpet interview at the 2017 Emmy Awards. When asked who she wanted to win, “I’m rooting for everyone Black,” the 41-year-old answered.
Gauff encouraged Rae to return to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the All-American and All-Black semifinal men’s singles match between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. This means a Black American man will reach the first major final since MaliVai Washington at 1996 Wimbledon.
“I got to root for my homies,” Gauff said.
“I’m rooting for anything,” Rae answered, which made Gauff quip, “Yeah, I know! We know who you’re rooting for.”
Gauff is pumped and even spoke about the match during her presser. “I never thought I’d have the chance to be able to see an all-Black semifinal in my lifetime. Even growing up, you just look at who was playing, I just never thought that that would be able to happen… I’m just rooting for a good match and hopefully, whoever wins can bring it home.”
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