US Open quarter-final ends in chaos as star risks disqualification for explosive meltdown

Mirra Andreeva’s frustrations got the better of her during a tough US Open quarter-final clash with Coco Gauff. The No. 5 seed looked to be cruising to victory when she quickly won the opening set in 26 minutes. Andreeva couldn’t convert two match points in the second set tiebreak, one of which was on her serve, and was taken to a decider.

When Gauff took an early break lead in the third and final set, the French Open champion finally lost her cool. While walking back to her bench, she chucked her racket towards it, but it hit another racket that was resting on its side, and it flew a few centimetres into the air, narrowly avoiding a cameraman.

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Had the racket hit the cameraman – or anyone else – Andreeva would have been at risk of an immediate default. “As expected, Mirra Andreeva threw her racket. Just had to be careful, there, of the cameraman. Huge reset needed here for Andreeva after those last few points,” Laura Robson said on Sky Sports commentary.

Things soon went from bad to worse for the 19-year-old, who was broken to love again in the seventh game, hitting three unforced errors. It allowed Gauff to serve out a 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2 comeback victory and book her place in the semi-finals. Andreeva again hurled her racket away in frustration immediately after crashing out of the tournament. It could be seen flying past as Gauff celebrated her comeback win.

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The fifth seed came around the net to give Gauff a quick handshake, but clearly wanted to get out of there. She packed her bags and made a swift exit from the court. “Andreeva could not have gotten off the court quick enough,” Tim Henman told viewers.

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By her own standards, Andreeva has been much kinder to herself this fortnight and not let her frustrations show too often. But she admitted that she had to let something out after blowing match points and then getting broken in the third.

“I think every emotion that you show after, your opponent is aware of something, but at that point, I felt like I was holding my emotions for too long, you know, not reacting on a lot of points in the first set. In the second set, as well, after having match points, losing the set,” she explained.

“But yeah, then at one point I just felt like, you know, I needed to let it out. When I let those emotions out, I don't really think if I show anything to my opponent. And at that point, you know, I didn't think about it either.”

Gauff got off to a very slow start in the last quarter-final match in the women’s singles draw, spraying errors as Andreeva stormed into a 6-2 lead. But the American is an expert at finding a way to win even when she’s not playing her A-game – or her B-game, or her C-game, for that matter.

The 2023 champion forced Andreeva to play a different style of tennis, and it ultimately proved too much for the world No. 5, who began leaking errors herself. Andreeva did well to extend the second set. She twice came back from a break down and saved a set point when Gauff served for it at 5-3.

But she failed to convert two match points in a tentative tiebreak, which included a 39-shot rally won by Gauff, and some slow, hesitant serves. And the final set quickly fell away from Andreeva.

Gauff’s comeback victory means that, for the first time since Wimbledon 2009, all four top seeds are through to the semi-finals of a Major. And the two-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she was channelling Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets and 3-5 down to beat Alex Michelsen in a fifth-set tiebreak yesterday.

“Mirra was playing a great level, but I think in the restroom… Honestly, I’ll be honest, I was thinking about Frances Tiafoe and how he came back yesterday,” she smiled.

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