Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images

Coco Gauff’s triumphant U.S. Open run came to an end Thursday night, when she lost to Elena Rybakina during the women’s semifinals. Gauff, who was ranked fourth in the world coming into the tournament, initially took the lead, but when her forehand started to waver, Rybakina crept ahead for a win of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. As Gauff left the stadium looking defeated, she received a standing ovation from the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The love didn’t end there — she also got a sweet shout out from Michelle Obama, who was watching the match.

“Big hugs to @CocoGauff!!!” the former First Lady wrote on X after Gauff’s loss. “She’s a joy to watch. Always proud. Go USA Tennis!! 🙏🏾💕”

In a post-match news conference, Gauff said that her fans’ support makes the loss a little easier. “It always sucks at the end to feel like — well, I know it’s not complete disappointment, but just not be able to get the win for them,” Gauff said. “But they definitely carry me through a lot of these matches here. I can feel the love all the way down to the last point.”

Coco Gauff says the other women in the U.S. Open semifinals are 3 to 4 years older than her… she’s excited to keep working & see where her level is in a few years

“I think I played almost every match on my terms. The worst match for me was maybe the quarterfinal where I fell… pic.twitter.com/0NywUYHuf4

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 11, 2026

Gauff had entered the New York event with momentum on her side: Last month, she won the Cincinnati Open, and prior to her match against Rybakina she had been on an 11-match winning streak. As the 2023 U.S. Open champion, she certainly had something to prove. And while things didn’t go her way this time, Gauff isn’t giving up just yet. “Right now, it sucks. My dad came up; he was like, ‘You accomplished so many great things this summer,’” she told reporters. “I was like, ‘I don’t care about the summer!’”

Coco Gauff leaves the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium after falling to Elena Rybakina in the US Open semis. pic.twitter.com/Iq3kgcYRfF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2026

“So right now that’s where my head is at,” she added. “I want to be a consistent player. I want to give myself as many opportunities to lift a trophy. But yeah, it hurts.”

Luckily, Gauff has plenty of time to improve her game. “I’m looking at the other women, the other semifinalists, they’re older than me, like three or four years older than me,” she noted. “Now I’m just excited to keep putting in the work for another year, another two years, and see where I’m at age 24, 25.” If she can win the U.S. Open at the age of 19, I can only imagine the caliber of success her mid-20s will bring. Hopefully the Obamas have some congratulatory posts ready.

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