Resilient Gauff fights back against Keys for French Open semi final spot

Coco Gauff, the tournament's second seed, has secured her place in the French Open semi-finals for the third time in four years. In the opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday, Gauff overcame Australian Open champion Madison Keys in a gritty three-set battle, ultimately triumphing with a score of 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1.

The 2022 Roland-Garros runner-up faced her first set loss of the 2025 tournament against Keys, a formidable opponent she hadn't managed to defeat since their clash in Dubai in 2023. Keys' impressive 11-match Grand Slam winning streak was halted by this defeat, which also brought their head-to-head record to an even 3-3. However, Gauff now holds a 2-0 advantage in their Grand Slam encounters, including their 2022 US Open showdown. This marked Keys' first appearance in the Roland-Garros quarter-finals since 2019.

Gauff: 'Focus on the next one'

Reflecting on her hard-fought victory, Coco Gauff shared her satisfaction. "It means a lot, especially getting through this tough match today," she said. "It wasn’t an easy match, and I’m very happy to get through it. I’m so excited to be in the semi-finals back here again. I have a lot more work to do. I’ll just savour this one today and focus on the next one tomorrow."

The match itself was a tense affair, characterized by a combined 14 double faults and 101 unforced errors, before Gauff, now 21, took complete control in a dominant third set. Nerves were palpable in the opening set, with both players losing their serve three times. Gauff, accumulating 21 unforced errors in the set, notably failed to convert a set point at 5-4 before eventually losing the tiebreak 8-6.

The 2023 US Open champion, however, displayed remarkable composure in the second set. Despite racing to a 4-1 lead with two breaks and then letting that advantage slip to 4-4, she fought back with aggressive play to secure the set 6-4.

Gauff eyes third major final

The third set was a stark contrast, turning into a one-sided affair. Gauff served with exceptional brilliance, not dropping a single point on her first serve and landing 71% of her first serves in. She faced no break points and capitalized on Keys' struggles by breaking her three times, sealing the match in dominant fashion.

Played under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier due to persistent rain in Paris, the indoor conditions influenced the match. Keys commented, "I think the court being a little bit slower coupled with the fact that she covers the court so well, it just put a little bit of pressure on me to go a little bit more for my shots and maybe press a little bit too much too soon." She also highlighted the challenge Gauff posed: "I think also there were a lot of points where I felt like playing someone else I would have won the point, but having to reset two and three times, it makes it harder, where even if you win six of those but if you’re losing three or four, they could be important points.”

Gauff, ranked World No. 2, now awaits the winner of the quarter-final clash between Russia's Mirra Andreeva, the No. 6 seed, and French wildcard Loïs Boisson. She will be chasing a spot in her third major final, potentially against World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or triple defending champion Iga Swiatek.