Mirra Andreeva was two points from the US Open semifinals. She has spent the week since being told how well she played, which is rarely much comfort.
## The Result
Andreeva reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-7(7), 2-6 after holding two match points in the second-set tiebreak.
Her game plan was working. More than 72% of her shots in the opening set went to Gauff’s forehand, a deliberate and effective strategy that produced a one-sided first set.
## Where It Slipped
The turning point was a break-point chance at 5-5 in the second set that she sent into the net, followed by the tiebreak collapse. Andreeva was honest afterwards about what she would change.
She said she would have taken more risks in the tiebreak rather than looking to extend rallies. That is a mature read on a painful loss.
The defeat dropped her head-to-head record against Gauff to 0-6.
## Where She Ranks
Andreeva sits at world No. 5 with 5,743 points, comfortably clear of Linda Noskova in sixth and well inside the group of players who will contest the WTA Finals places.
## The Bigger 2026 Picture
The quarterfinal exit should not obscure the season. Andreeva won the French Open this year, her breakthrough major title, and remains one of the youngest players inside the top 10.
She also won Dubai in February 2025 at 17, and has been a fixture in the upper reaches of the rankings since.
The player who beat her is profiled in our update on Coco Gauff’s US Open result. For the eventual champion, see Rybakina’s title run, and the full ranking picture is in our post-US Open rankings roundup.
## The Takeaway
A French Open title and a near-miss in New York at her age is an excellent year. The hard-court finishing touches are the work in progress.