Coco Gauff Reaches French Open Semifinal, to Face Loïs Boisson/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Coco Gauff overcame a shaky start and 10 double-faults to defeat fellow American Madison Keys in the French Open quarterfinals. She rallied to win 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1, advancing to her third Roland-Garros semifinal. Next, Gauff will face surprise semifinalist Loïs Boisson, ranked 361st in the world.
PARIS — Coco Gauff’s grit was on full display in Paris as the 21-year-old American rallied from behind to defeat fellow Grand Slam winner Madison Keys and advance to her third career French Open semifinal. In a rollercoaster match marred by errors and nerves, Gauff pulled through with a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 win that reflected not her best tennis, but certainly her best fight.
Gauff, seeded No. 2, struggled with her serve — recording 10 double-faults — and couldn’t find her rhythm early on. After dropping the first-set tiebreak and trailing 4-1 in the second, she appeared close to unraveling. Instead, she recalibrated, switched rackets, and shifted momentum with a newfound calmness.
And dig deep she did. Gauff won eight of the final nine games, limiting herself to just two unforced errors in the final set — a stark contrast to the chaotic earlier stages of the match. Her court coverage and composure improved drastically as Keys’ power began to fade under the pressure of consistency and hustle from her opponent.
It wasn’t a clean match. Together, the players committed 101 unforced errors. Breaks of serve dominated the contest, with 14 of the 29 games going against the server.
Keys, the 7th seed and reigning Australian Open champion, struggled to maintain control of points, often forcing too many shots against Gauff’s relentless defense.
Awaiting Gauff in Thursday’s semifinal is Loïs Boisson — a name few had heard before this fortnight. The 361st-ranked French wild card is enjoying one of the most improbable Slam runs in history, following up her win over No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula with a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over rising star Mirra Andreeva.
At 22, Boisson becomes the first woman to reach a Slam semifinal in her debut since 1989drawing comparisons to legends like Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati. With the home crowd fully behind her, she will be Gauff’s most surprising challenger yet.
The tournament’s other semifinal pits world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka against three-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek — a rivalry that has intensified at recent majors. Swiatek has eliminated Gauff in previous editions, including last year’s semifinals and the 2022 final.
Should Gauff advance, she could face either opponent again in a bid for her second Grand Slam title.
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