World No. 4 Coco Gauff secured a comprehensive victory in the quarterfinal match against fellow seed Mirra Andreeva at the Mutua Madrid Open on Wednesday, overcoming an initial setback in the first set to win. Gauff, the fourth seed, defeated the seventh seed Andreeva to advance.
Gauff found herself trailing early in the opening set, down a break at 5-4 and facing two set points. However, the American dramatically shifted the momentum from that point forward. She dominated the latter stages of the set and the majority of the second, winning nine of the subsequent ten games to clinch the match with a 7-5, 6-1 scoreline in a total of 1 hour and 32 minutes on court.
Semifinal Showdown Against Swiatek
The 2023 US Open champion, Gauff, is now set to face her frequent opponent, Iga Swiatek, in the semifinals. Swiatek, the reigning Madrid champion and a five-time Grand Slam winner, holds a significant lead in their head-to-head record, leading Gauff 11-3.
Their rivalry began with Gauff losing the first seven encounters without winning a single set (0-14). Gauff achieved her first victory over Swiatek at the Cincinnati tournament in 2023. The American has actually won their last two meetings, including one at the United Cup this year. However, Gauff is still seeking her first win against Swiatek on clay, the surface where the Pole is particularly dominant.
A Match for the Record Books
This quarterfinal match between Gauff and Andreeva featured the second-youngest combined age of opponents at this stage of a WTA 1000 tournament since the tier was introduced in 2009. Only the 2009 Indian Wells quarterfinal between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Agnieszka Radwanska had a younger combined age.
It was the 20-year-old Gauff who ultimately prevailed over Andreeva, who recently turned 18. This victory marks Gauff`s ninth career appearance in a WTA 1000 semifinal and her third on clay courts. Her previous clay-court WTA 1000 semifinal appearances were in Rome in 2021 and again in 2024, both resulting in losses to Iga Swiatek.
By reaching the final four in Madrid, Gauff becomes the second-youngest player ever to achieve semifinal results at both the Madrid and Rome WTA 1000 events. Only Caroline Wozniacki reached both milestones at a younger age, completing the feat before turning 21.
Furthermore, the win against Andreeva was Gauff`s 25th career victory against a Top 10 ranked player. At just 20 years old, she is the youngest player to reach this milestone since Ana Ivanovic achieved 25 Top 10 wins back in 2008, also at the age of 20.
The Turning Point
The critical moment in the match occurred in the first set. Andreeva successfully broke Gauff`s serve to take a 5-4 lead and then held two set points on her own serve, seemingly poised to take the opening set.
However, a crucial backhand winner from Gauff on the first set point appeared to energize the American. She then demonstrated strong resilience in the ensuing groundstroke rallies, battling her way to earn a pair of break points. On her second opportunity, Gauff struck a forehand winner off a short ball, breaking back to level the set at 5-5.
Closing Out the Match
Following the vital break back, Gauff became a completely different player. She held her serve confidently to take a 6-5 lead, then immediately broke Andreeva`s serve at love to decisively claim the first set advantage.
In the second set, Gauff was remarkably dominant on her serve, not losing a single point for 15 consecutive points until she reached triple match point at 5-1, 40-0. She made an error on that point, but it was her only stumble towards the end. She quickly sealed the victory on her second match point, securing her place in the semifinals.
Jasper Hawthorne 
Dominic Ashworth