One win away from reaching the Super Bowl, the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens could have Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews back in the lineup on Sunday when they host the Kansas City Chiefs.

Andrews has not played since suffering an ankle injury that cost him the remainder of the regular season on Nov. 16. The Ravens won six in a row without him before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18.

Heading into Sunday’s AFC title game (3 p.m. ET, CBS), Andrews’ potential return would be a huge addition for the Ravens offense.

Here’s what we know about Andrews’ recovery and status for the playoff matchup:

Will Mark Andrews play vs. Chiefs?

In the words of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, ‘Hopefully.’

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Jackson was optimistic about Andrews’ return when he spoke to the media Wednesday.

‘It would mean a lot. That’s my – like I said – bread and butter, big bro,’ Jackson said. ‘But with Mark and the type of guy he is, the type of caliber player he is, and what he brings to the table for us, it would definitely mean a lot for us.’

Jackson might have his ‘bread and butter’ available on Sunday, as Andrews was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice.

Baltimore started the clock for Andrews’ comeback by designating him to return from injured reserve Jan. 12. Players have three weeks to be activated from that date.

What was Mark Andrews’ injury?

Andrews suffered a cracked fibula and ligament damage to his right ankle when Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson tackled him during a ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup.

Wilson’s tackle came under fire as an example of the ‘hip-drop’ tackle that some have called upon the league to ban. Months later, Andrews didn’t seem to have an issue with the play.

Mark Andrews’ recovery includes hyperbaric chamber

One key to his recovery, Andrews said, was the use of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. His girlfriend’s family had one, he said, and they moved it into his house to aid in his recovery.

‘I think that’s been big for me – help speed up that process,’ Andrews said.

Mark Andrews’ stats for 2023 season

Prior to his injury, the 2021 All-Pro caught 45 passes for 544 yards with six touchdowns.

Who is Mark Andrews’ backup?

With Andrews out, second-year pro Isaiah Likely has thrived in a starting role. Likely caught all five of his touchdowns in the regular season over the final six games. And he came up big in the Ravens’ playoff opener as well – catching two passes for 34 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore’s 34-10 rout against the Houston Texans.

Five members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey championship team have been told to report to the police in London, Ontario, to face sexual assault charges, according to the Globe and Mail newspaper.

That team has been under investigation for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in a hotel room after a Hockey Canada gala in the Canadian city in June 2018.

The newspaper said the five players, who were not identified, had not been charged and had a set period of time to report to police headquarters. The Globe and Mail cited two people with knowledge of the situation who it did not name because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

‘We are unable to provide an update at this time,’ a London police department spokesperson said in an email to USA TODAY Sports. ‘When there is further information to share regarding this investigation, we will be in contact with media outlets.’

The department said on its website that it expects to hold a news conference on Feb. 5.

The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association said they had no comment at this time.

What is the history of the investigation?

Canadian network TSN reported in May 2022 that an undisclosed settlement had been paid to a woman who alleged in a $3.55 million lawsuit that she was sexually assaulted by eight players — including members of the country’s gold medal-winning world junior championship team — after a 2018 Hockey Canada gala in London.

Further reporting by TSN showed that Hockey Canada’s National Equity Fund had been used to settle sexual assault claims. The organization announced in July 2022 that an independent investigation had been launched into the 2018 team and promised reforms, including training on sexual violence and consent. Executives and board members have since stepped down.

Later that July, Hockey Canada said it was informed by TSN reporter Rick Westhead about an alleged group sexual assault at the 2003 world junior tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said that July that the league was also looking into the allegations and that he expected full cooperation.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in June 2023 that the investigation was done and the league expected to have a report available for review in the summer.

Hockey Canada receives independent report

Hockey Canada said on Nov. 14 that an independent group’s hearing into the case had been completed and the report had been turned over to the involved parties.

However, because of an appeal, Hockey Canada said the findings couldn’t be released at that time. It expected the appeal to be heard soon.

‘Hockey Canada has cooperated fully with the London Police Service throughout its investigation and we are committed to continuing to support the legal process,’ the organization said in a statement. ‘We confirmed with the London Police Service in advance that an announcement concerning the independent adjudicative panel will not affect its investigation.

‘Pending the completion of the appeal process, all players from the 2018 National Junior Team remain suspended by Hockey Canada and are currently ineligible to play, coach, officiate or volunteer with Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs.’

GREEN BAY – Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is firing defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the team announced Wednesday.

While Barry will not return, as first reported by the NFL Network, this will not be a housecleaning of the defensive staff.

‘We want to thank Joe for his commitment and contributions to our success the past three seasons,’ LaFleur said in a release. ‘These decisions are extremely difficult and Joe is one of the best men I’ve had the opportunity to work with in this league.’

LaFleur had been noncommittal on what he would do with Barry, whose defense lagged behind the growth of the offense this season and was a sore thumb for most of the season.

There was a lot to consider.

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There was the first 15 games of the season, after which the Packers ranked 23rd in yards allowed, tied for 17th in points allowed, tied for 24th in takeaways and 27th in third-down efficiency.

There was also the final four games where the Packers allowed just under 19 points per game, had 14 sacks, three interceptions and a defensive score.

And then there was maybe the most important factor of all.

If LaFleur made the move, what are the chances he could find someone who can do a better job without having to find a whole different set of players who fit the new system? And can he convince someone new to keep the assistant coaches on defense who he thinks deserve to keep their jobs?

Defensive coordinator candidates who could replace Joe Barry

The one undebatable fact is that there are many position coaches with defensive coordinator potential, as well as a few veterans with extensive coordinator experience, available for hire. At least 10 assistant coaches already have interviewed for open defensive coordinator positions and many more may follow as the head coaching carousel settles and more positions open.

If LaFleur were to consider veterans like former Washington coach Ron Rivera, former New York Giants coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, former Minnesota head coach and Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier or former Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, he might need to move quickly.  

It only took two weeks for Jacksonville to scoop up Atlanta defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and, with Rivera and Caldwell set to interview with Philadelphia, according to reports, they might not be on the street much longer either.

Among the assistants who have already interviewed for coordinator positions, according to reports, are Baltimore defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson (Giants), Tennessee assistant head coach/defensive line Terrell Williams (Bears), Titans cornerbacks coach Chris Harris (Jaguars, Bears), Ravens pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt (Jaguars), Buffalo linebackers coach Bob Babich (Giants) and Denver defensive backs coach Christian Parker (New England).

Among others who may draw interest are Buffalo defensive line coach Eric Washington, New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel, Houston passing game coordinator Cory Undlin, Dallas secondary coach Al Harris and San Francisco defensive line coach Kris Kocurek.

And, of course, there is Illinois senior football analyst and former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

When LaFleur replaced coordinator Mike Pettine with Barry in 2021, he also interviewed Evero, Leonhard and Harris. He selected Barry because of his experience, fit with his current staff and recent involvement in the Vic Fangio-style defense the Los Angeles Rams were running.

What’s the future of the Packers defense?

As he evaluates this season, plus the two others Barry led the defense, he must consider whether the scheme is a good fit for the team’s talent. At the time of Barry’s hiring, the Fangio defense was all the rage, but in the past couple of years more and more coordinators are using pressure schemes to attack the league’s high-octane passing games.

The Packers faced a host of pressure defenses, including Martindale’s with the Giants, Steve Spagnuolo’s with Kansas City, Brian Flores with Minnesota and Tampa Bay’s with Todd Bowles. LaFleur was often complimentary about the challenge the defenses presented and it’s possible he could swing that direction.

The common thread in Barry’s failures to turn a defense with seven first-round draft picks into a top-flight defense was the inability to consistently stop the run. The Packers were usually among the top teams in the league in preventing pass completions of 40 or more yards, but they continually ranked at the bottom in run defense.

This past season, they ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed per game (128.3) and 23rd in yards per carry (4.42). In 2022, they ranked 26th in yards (139.5) and 28th in yards per carry (4.95) and in ’21 they ranked 11th in yards per game (109.1) and 30th in yards per carry 4.7.

Jim Harbaugh is returning to the NFL after agreeing to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. He most recently led the Michigan Wolverines to their first national title since 1997 with a 34-13 win over the Washington Huskies.

Harbaugh returns to the NFL more than a decade after a four-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers. The former NFL quarterback will be the Chargers’ third head coach in the last five years after Brandon Staley was fired in mid-December. He inherits a team he played for in the NFL and is currently led by franchise quarterback Justin Herbert on offense and multiple star players on defense.

Here’s a look at his NFL history ahead of him stepping in with the Chargers:

What is Jim Harbaugh’s NFL career record?

Harbaugh became the head coach of the 49ers on Jan. 7, 2011 after a successful four-year stint with Stanford. He turned San Francisco around immediately; the 49ers went from 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 in 2011 with a trip to the NFC Championship game.

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Over four years with the 49ers, Harbaugh compiled a 44-19-1 record in the regular season and went 5-3 in the playoffs. San Francisco lost to the Baltimore Ravens – coached by Harbaugh’s brother John – in Super Bowl XLVII during Harbaugh’s second season with the team.

The 49ers made the NFC championship game in each of Harbaugh’s first three seasons, losing to the New York Giants in 2011, beating the Atlanta Falcons in 2012, and losing to the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. The Giants and Seahawks both won the Super Bowl in those seasons.

After an 8-8 record in 2014, the 49ers and Harbaugh parted ways and he left for Michigan.

Which teams did Jim Harbaugh coach?

Harbaugh’s only NFL coaching experience is from 2011-2014 with the 49ers. Outside of the NFL, he coached at the college level at the University of San Diego (2004-2006), Stanford (2007-2010), and Michigan (2015-2023).

Jim Harbaugh NFL coaching stats

Harbaugh compiled a 0.695 winning percentage in four seasons with the 49ers. That’s fifth all-time in NFL history with a minimum of 50 games coached. All four coaches ahead of him in winning percentage are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: George Allen (0.712), Vince Lombardi (0.738), John Madden (0.759), and Guy Chamberlin (0.784).

Despite being an offensive-minded coach, the 49ers excelled on defense under his watch. Here’s how the 49ers ranked in major metrics during his time as head coach:

His staffs in San Francisco included future NFL head coaches Vic Fangio and Jim Tomsula as well as future coordinators Greg Roman, Ejiro Evero, Ed Donatell, John Morton, and Mick Lombardi.

What is Jim Harbaugh’s NFL experience?

Before he was a successful NFL coach, Harbaugh played 14 seasons in the NFL. The Chicago Bears selected him 26th overall in the 1987 NFL Draft and he played seven years there. He followed that with a four-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts that included a Pro Bowl season in 1995. He played one year with Baltimore before finishing his career out with the then-San Diego Chargers in 1999 and 2000.

Over 14 seasons, he compiled a 66-74 record as a starting quarterback. That 1995 season was his best and he led the NFL in quarterback rating (100.7) and fourth-quarter comebacks (three).

Why was Jim Harbaugh suspended?

Michigan imposed a three-game suspension on Harbaugh at the beginning of the 2023 season for recruiting violations. The Big Ten Conference later suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season amid a sign-stealing scandal involving former staff member Connor Stalions.

What is Jim Harbaugh’s record with Michigan?

Over nine years with the Wolverines, Harbaugh posted a 89-25 record with three Bowl game victories. The 2023 season marks his only undefeated season at the helm in Ann Arbor.

Vic Fangio is one-and-done as Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator, the team announced Wednesday.

Here’s a list of possible successors:

Anthony Campanile

Campanile, 41, has been the Dolphins’ linebackers coach since 2020 and is respected to the point of drawing interest around the league as a coordinator candidate, so it’s only natural that Mike McDaniel give him strong consideration for a promotion.

Campanile played a starring role in the initial episode of “Hard Knocks” when he gave an impassioned speech to the team to drive up intensity. In it, he asked players to imagine someone running down the street after grabbing one of their relatives, even one of their children.

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“That would make me out of my (bleeping) mind,” Campanile said. “That ain’t gonna (bleeping) happen.”

Campanile also compiled a “cake leaderboard” for meetings, presenting the best performers from the previous game with cakes.

Before arriving, his roles included serving as co-defensive coordinator at Boston College in 2018 and linebackers coach at Michigan in 2019.

Sean Desai

Desai, 40, didn’t survive one season as defensive coordinator of the Eagles under Nick Sirianni.

Sirianni demoted Desai as the Eagles’ season began to spiral out of control amid blowouts by the 49ers and Cowboys. Philly gave up a total of 75 points in those games. Now Desai is a free agent.

Desai also was a DC in Chicago in 2021. The Bears ranked sixth in total defense and 22nd in points allowed.

Wink Martindale

If McDaniel thinks the Dolphins need to toughen up, Don “Wink” Martindale might be his man.

Martindale, 60, is best known as the architect of the Ravens’ defense from 2018-21, when Baltimore ranked in the top seven in the NFL three times. More impressively, the Ravens were in the top three in scoring three of those seasons.

Martindale was the Giants’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons. New York ranked 25th and 27th in total defense over that period.

Just as bad was his parting with the Giants. The Athletic reported that Martindale cursed at head coach Brian Daboll before storming out.

Marquand Manuel

Manuel, 44, who has coached the Jets’ safeties since 2021, overlapped with McDaniel on the coaching staff of the Falcons in 2016. That’s not his only connection. Manuel attended the University of Florida and Miami High.

He was a defensive back for eight NFL seasons, playing for six teams.

Manuel then served as defensive coordinator in Atlanta in 2017 and ’18, during which time they ranked ninth and 28th defensively and eighth and 25th in points allowed.

Manuel is supposed to interview for the Jaguars’ DC job Thursday. Maybe take a trip farther south to chat afterward?

Just gonna leave this here …

Mike Vrabel:The recently fired Tennessee head coach whose Titans wrecked the Dolphins’ season with that comeback? Yup, that guy.

Leslie Frazier: Another of the if-you-can’t-beat-‘em gang. Frazier, 64, is a former Bills DC.

Brandon Staley: In his only season as a DC, he helped the Rams lead the league in total defense and scoring defense in 2020, which is what earned him the job as head coach of the Chargers the past three seasons. But they never ranked higher than 20th defensively over that span.

Chris Shula: Son of David, grandson of Don, he’s in his seventh season on the Rams’ staff, now serving as linebackers coach and pass rush coordinator. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

After a long and frustrating season for the Philadelphia Eagles, center Jason Kelce was ready to let loose last weekend. And boy, did he.

Cheering on brother Travis Kelce and sitting in a suite with Taylor Swift for Sunday’s Buffalo Bills-Kansas City Chiefs divisional round game in Buffalo was, in his words, ‘one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had. From start to finish.’

That playoff game – and everything that encompassed it – was the primary topic of conversation on the Kelce brothers’ latest episode of their ‘New Heights’ podcast on Wednesday.

In the Highmark Stadium parking lot among the tailgaters, Jason said he didn’t have the opportunity to break any tables, but he did take a shot out of a bowling ball.

Following a playoff loss the previous weekend, Jason admitted he was more than ready to put the season behind him. ‘This was an opportunity to, honestly, just go someplace and forget about all that. Just go have fun and root on your brother,’ he said.

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Jason Kelce meets Taylor Swift for the first time

From the parking lot to his spot in a luxury suite, Jason said he knew he wanted to take his shirt off at some point – despite his wife Kylie’s objections.

‘She was already telling me to be on my best behavior because we were meeting Taylor,’ he said.

‘When I entered the box, I noticed I can jump out of this box and I’ll be outside. And if I take my shirt off, then I’m outside and I’m part of the Buffalo Bills pageantry.’

Predictably, a photo of a shirtless Jason Kelce celebrating a Travis touchdown went viral on social media.

Jason offered no apologies for his antics.

‘There was something about the entire day. I got caught up in the magic of Bills Mafia,’ he said. ‘It is electric. The energy, the shenanigans. I’m like, ‘I gotta have my shirt off.”

And how did that go over with Taylor Swift, whom Jason and his wife had just met for the first time?

‘Tay said she absolutely loved you,’ Travis said.

Travis Kelce takes responsibility for Mecole Hardman fumble

The Chiefs ended up pulling off a 27-24 win over the Bills to advance to Sunday’s AFC championship game.

But the game nearly turned on a key turnover in the fourth quarter when Chiefs wideout Mecole Hardman fumbled at the goal line and the ball went out of bounds in the end zone.

While most of the blame centered on Hardman losing possession, the Chiefs tight end said his missed assignment on the play was a key factor.

‘I’m not gonna lie. I owe Mecole a new car or something. My block is the one that knocked the ball out,’ Travis said. ‘I’ve been sick … I’ve apologized to him every time I saw him today.’

Tom Brady offers congratulations for record-breaking TD

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with Kelce for a pair of touchdown passes in the win over Buffalo. That gave them a total of 16 touchdowns in postseason play, one more than the previous record held by Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

Travis was happy to point out a congratulatory message Brady sent on social media shortly afterward.

Kelce was the game’s leading receiver with five catches for 75 yards and those two touchdowns.

Since he was hired as Alabama’s new football coach earlier this month, questions have swirled around Kalen DeBoer and whether the born-and-bred South Dakotan who has never coached farther south than Fresno, California can successfully acclimate to the ruthlessly competitive world of the SEC.

As DeBoer works to quell those doubts, he won’t be doing so with a newfound southern accent.

In an appearance Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, the Crimson Tide coach was asked if he might change his accent in a similar way to LSU coach Brian Kelly, who infamously spoke at a Tigers men’s basketball game the day he was introduced as the school’s new football coach with a hilariously thick and outrageously contrived drawl.

With a laugh, DeBoer shot that possibility down.

“I think that would go wrong for me,” DeBoer said. “I know who I am. There’s some South Dakota in there. That’s who I am. We’ve just got to live with that. You got me for who I am.”

Kelly, who grew up in the Boston area and spent his entire coaching career in New England and the Midwest, was mocked for his December 2021 address to LSU fans for speaking with a little more molasses in his voice than usual. Much of the criticism and humor came from his pronunciation of the word ‘family.’

Kelly joked about it a month later while stopping in the ESPN booth during its broadcast of LSU’s appearance in the Texas Bowl.

As he works to try to replace legendary outgoing Alabama coach Nick Saban, DeBoer won’t be trying anything similar, though McAfee, the show’s eponymous host, thinks it may come with time.

“A year from now, though, you can’t help it with it being around,” McAfee said. “It’s going to inevitably happen. Hopefully, you’ll be down there the next 15-20 years just like Saban was doing great things.”

While it won’t be coming with a manufactured, Foghorn Leghorn-like accent, DeBoer is already putting in the work he’ll need to in order to succeed in Tuscaloosa. He joined McAfee’s show from the side of a road after he had pulled over while out recruiting.

After much speculation on whether or not Jim Harbaugh would remain with the Michigan Wolverines after winning the college football national championship, his departure is now official. Harbaugh is headed back to the NFL, returning to California, this time as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh finally broke through for a college football national championship this year after two one-and-done playoff appearances in 2021 and 2022. Harbaugh took over a Michigan program that had gone 3-5 in Big Ten play in both 2013 and 2014 and immediately escalated them to the forefront of their conference.

Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan wasn’t without controversy. 2023 alone was muddied with a sign-stealing scandal that saw Harbaugh suspended for three games during the Wolverines championship season. However, Harbaugh is getting a fresh start with the Chargers now. He already has his franchise quarterback, but with the team projected to be $44 million over the cap limit in 2024, Harbaugh could have his hands full trying to field a competitive team capable of competing with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Here are the best online reactions to the Harbaugh hiring.

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Best reactions to Harbaugh, Chargers news:

Best responses to Chargers clever Harbaugh tweet:

Of the 12 consecutive Grand Slam matches that Coco Gauff has won en route to the Australian Open semifinal, she has played her best tennis (or something close to it) in roughly half of them. 

It’s almost becoming Gauff’s brand: Watch one or multiple parts of her game break down, get in trouble against an opponent she should beat, then find a way to use her athleticism and competitive instincts to push through the challenge. 

It’s a dangerous way to live in these tournaments. It also shows why Gauff has become a champion just shy of her 20th birthday and felt confident enough before the Australian Open to muse about winning double-digit Grand Slams before her career is over. 

But if she wants to match what Naomi Osaka did in 2019 by winning No. 2 immediately after her first at the US Open, the high-wire act probably won’t be good enough. To beat Aryna Sabalenka – particularly this Aryna Sabalenka – will likely require nothing less than Gauff’s best. 

Because above all else – maybe even the trophy itself — this is the match Sabalenka wants. It’s the one she’s been waiting for. And in the early hours of Thursday morning (for American viewers) it’s the match she’s going to get. 

“I love it,” Sabalenka said. “I love it.” 

Rewind back to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sept. 9. Gauff was struggling – more with Sabalenka’s powerful game than the occasion of her first US Open final. But after losing the first set, Gauff was determined to claw her way back into the match with what she always has in her arsenal: Elite defense and court coverage. 

Fighting as hard as she could to retrieve every ball, Gauff dug in and made Sabalanka hit as many extra shots as she could hoping to maybe lure her into missing. Little by little, it worked. The crowd got involved in the match, lifting Gauff’s game. Sabalenka got emotional and started pressing. By the third set, her game unraveled and Gauff lifted a Grand Slam trophy for the first time. 

“The good news is that it’s me against me,” Sabalenka said after the match. “The bad (news) is that I’m still having these issues playing against myself.” 

The US Open disappointment concluded a strange year for Sabalenka. After winning her first Grand Slam title in Australia – playing probably the most clutch match of her life in the final against Elena Rybakina — she had opportunities to win the other three majors but crumbled under pressure.

The current run in Australia marks Sabalenka’s sixth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, and this one has felt different from the beginning. She’s not just winning these matches − she’s laying waste to everyone, including heavily lopsided scores against quality players. In five matches, Sabalenka has lost a total of 16 games.

Gauff’s play hasn’t been quite as stable, even though her draw to get to the semis has been about as favorable as possible. Though Gauff has had some breezy wins in this tournament, the highest-ranked player she faced was the quarterfinal against No. 37 Marta Kostyuk – and it was the definition of an ugly win. 

Somehow despite multiple parts of her game failing her – the total count for Gauff was 17 winners against 51 unforced errors – she got through 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 to reach her first semifinal in Australia. 

“It was a fight,” she said. “I think today was definitely like my C-game.”

If Sabalenka continues playing the quality of tennis she’s displayed the entire tournament, Gauff’s C-game probably won’t cut it. In fact, her A-game may not even be good enough. That’s how dominant the big-hitting Belarusian has been thus far. 

But the one thing you can say about Gauff is that no matter what’s working or not working for her on a given day, she’s gotten very good at triaging bad situations, changing tactics and just flat-out winning tennis matches ever since Brad Gilbert became her coach last summer. Once she embraced the idea that she didn’t need to play perfect tennis to win, the results have been incredible: 34 wins in her last 38 matches.

That’s kind of Gilbert’s trademark. After all, the book he wrote about his own career was called “Winning Ugly,” and you can see some of those traits in the way Gauff has found her way out of trouble in last two Grand Slams. 

You’d think the playbook for Gauff will be similar to what it was in New York: Defend, dig, run and make it as ugly as possible to get Sabalenka thinking and feeling the pressure. After all, with two longshots waiting on the other side of the draw in Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska and China’s Qinwen Zheng, this match is going to feel like the de facto final.

The exciting thing for Gauff is that she’s still not even close to her ceiling. These matches have shown how much she still needs to fix fundamentally in her game, and yet she’s got a real chance to win her second Grand Slam this weekend. But at one point or another, Gauff does need to play her best to start collecting these big titles at the rate she thinks she can.

This would be a perfect time to start.