World No. 3 Coco Gauff booked her place in the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Wednesday with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(5) win over rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva at the iconic Foro Italico Centre Court.
Gauff, playing with her trademark intensity, maintained her unbeaten head-to-head record against Andreeva, improving it to 4-0 with a composed and aggressive performance. The American capitalized on early momentum to take the first set 6-4, converting a crucial breakpoint at 4-3 with a deft touch at the net after a string of unforced errors from Andreeva.
“I was happy with how I defended today. It was a tight match, especially in the tiebreaker,” said Gauff after the match. “We were both nervous at times—it came down to who could make the last ball.”
The second set saw a more spirited response from 17-year-old Andreeva, who rallied back with sharp baseline play and a sensational drop shot to level the score at 5-5. However, Gauff held her nerve and clinched the tiebreak 7-5, sealing the win after 1 hour and 47 minutes on court.
This marks Gauff’s third career semi-final appearance at the Italian Open. So far in the tournament, she has dropped just one set in five matches, underlining her growing confidence and form on clay ahead of the French Open.
“I gained a lot of confidence from this win,” Gauff added. “Some points weren’t my best, but I managed to stay composed and find a way to win, which is what matters most at this stage.”
With this victory, Gauff has now won nine of her last ten matches, her only recent loss coming in the Madrid Open final against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff could get the chance for revenge as she now awaits the winner of the clash between Sabalenka and eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in the semi-final.
The 20-year-old American continues to impress in her 2024 clay season campaign and looks poised for another deep run at a WTA 1000 event, with the Roland Garros just weeks away.
