Of the current top-nine WTA players Mirra Andreeva has faced, she has defeated all but one opponent – world No.4 Coco Gauff.
In her five attempts, two of which included relinquished first-set leads, Andreeva hasn’t been able to overcome the Gauff hurdle. However, a lot has changed since the two young stars faced off in Rome in May, let alone the last time they met at Grand Slam level at US Open 2023.
With a Grand Slam title and a rewired mindset, Wednesday’s US Open quarterfinal against Gauff could be Andreeva’s moment.
It has taken time for Andreeva to adjust to the expectations of being a major winner; she won just two of her next five matches. Yet an important meeting with her psychologist helped the 19-year-old shift her mentality.
“After winning Roland Garros, I felt like every match that I play I have to win, because I won the biggest tournament of my life. Now I have to go out there and win every match that I play,” Andreeva said.
“I had my talk with my psychologist, I think it was in Cincinnati before the tournament started and we were just talking about it. I was just sharing that I feel very stressed, that I feel super demanding of myself, that I cannot seem to let myself go and enjoy as I did before.
“I'm just trying to forget that it was a Grand Slam [that I won], trying not to overthink, as well, and just kind of chill and enjoy.”
Since that conversation, Andreeva’s form has spiked yet again. After earning the most ranking points throughout the claycourt swing thanks to a 22-3 record, the teenager has won six of her past seven matches as she chases a second major crown.
A five-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist, Andreeva is also striving for a maiden semifinal berth away from Paris and this year has already outperformed her previous best at Flushing Meadows.
“Coming into this tournament, I didn't really know what to expect because my results here were not the best, my best result was third round [in 2025],” she said.
“I didn't expect much because for some reason, I just seem to not be able to find my rhythm yet here, so far, thank God, it's going not bad. But I just kind of feel like maybe I'm more at peace in a way that I'm not as demanding of myself anymore.”
Aware of Andreeva’s newfound dangers, Gauff will not take the world No.6 lightly. She expects her opponent to present different challenges, some of which could threaten the American’s career-best streak of nine straight-set victories.
“Mirra is someone that I always have tough matches with,” she said.
“I think it's similar to [my matches with] Karolina [Muchova] that every match could have almost gone either way. I think I only remember one of them being smooth here, and that was, like, three years ago.
“She's obviously in a different mindset now at the top of the game coming off of a Grand Slam win. I expect her to approach the match completely differently than in the past.”
Combined with her Cincinnati triumph, Gauff has won her past 11 matches, launching into her first US Open quarterfinal since winning the title in 2023. The 22-year-old’s strong form places her in contention for the coveted world No.1 mantle – an unexpected milestone on offer.
“I’m just thinking about ‘I need to win this match and this tournament,’ honestly,” she told ESPN.
“I never thought about the No.1 ranking. I didn’t even realise I was in contention until someone asked me about it in press.
“Yes, it would be great to reach that number, but I think I just have faith that if I keep winning, especially in these Slams, I’ll eventually get there.”
Andreeva was full of praise for Gauff and her improvement. She recognises the challenge ahead of her to claim her first win over the two-time Grand Slam champion, who will have home-court advantage.
“We all know that Coco is a great fighter, so I feel like not one point is going to be easy,” she said.
“She's improving even more. Her serve is better. I was watching a little bit of how she was playing earlier in the tournament, I felt like she was trying to go into the net a little bit more, trying to be more aggressive.
“With the home crowd, it's going to be a tough match. We'll try to prepare our best to show a good level of tennis and for me to try to play my best and hopefully get the result that I want.”