Gauff ends Boisson s fairytale run to reach second Roland Garros final

Coco Gauff demonstrated her formidable prowess on clay, emphatically ending French wildcard Lois Boisson’s dream journey at Roland-Garros. The American swiftly dismissed her opponent in just over an hour, securing a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory to advance to her second final in Paris.

Despite fervent support from the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd, the world No. 361, Boisson, found no answer to Gauff’s intelligent and focused play. Gauff, the world No. 3, emphasized her strategy post-match: “It’s always the plan, to try to start strong, but I knew it was important today.” She graciously acknowledged her opponent, stating, “Lois is an incredible player, for her to have the tournament she had, she definitely proved she’s one of the best players in the world, especially on clay, and I’m sure we’ll have many more battles in the future – hopefully here.” Addressing the partisan crowd with a smile, she added, "I know you guys wanted her to win, but I wanted to win as well!" Gauff also revealed her mental preparation for the French crowd, acknowledging it would be "99 per cent for her," and shared her tactic of chanting her own name to psych herself up amidst the chants for Boisson.

While Boisson's Roland-Garros run concluded, her performance was truly remarkable. She secured two significant wins over Top 10 players, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, making her only the second woman ranked outside the Top 300 to achieve this feat in a single event since Serena Williams in 1997. Furthermore, she is the second woman in the last four decades to defeat multiple Top 10 opponents in her maiden Grand Slam appearance, a distinction previously held by Monica Seles in 1989.

Boisson’s impressive fortnight should not overshadow Gauff’s own achievements. The American is the youngest woman to reach back-to-back semi-finals in Paris since Ana Ivanovic. Gauff is now set to contend for her second career clay-court title, having previously triumphed in Parma in 2021. Her strong form on clay this season is further underscored by reaching the finals of both WTA 1000 events on clay in Madrid and Rome earlier this year.

In the highly anticipated final, Gauff will face Aryna Sabalenka, a familiar opponent who defeated her in the Madrid final.