Coco Gauff passed her biggest test so far at the French Open as she scrapped her way past fellow American Madison Keys to reach the semi-finals. A scruffy match featuring 101 unforced errors and 14 breaks of serve ended 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 in favour of the world No 2. Gauff had previously not dropped a set as she quietly made her way through the friendlier side of the draw.
In a nervy first set Gauff overturned a 4-1 deficit to force a set point at 5-4, only to be taken to a tie-break, which Keys won. Gauff went 4-1 up in the second but found herself pegged back, before a break and a hold took the match into a decider.
The confidence had drained from Keys, the Australian Open champion, while Gauff finally located her serve, having coughed up nine double faults in the first two sets. A pass down the line brought up three match points and the 21-year-old roared with delight when Keys went long, giving her the victory in two hours and 11 minutes.
“Maddie was playing well She’s hitting the ball so fast and so low so I was just trying to fight for each point,” said Gauff, the runner-up here in 2022 and the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). “I knew I had to be able to run and as soon as the ball came short punish her for it. I’m very happy to get through and be in the semi-finals again. I’ll savour this one today and be ready for tomorrow’s match.”
Gauff will face Loïs Boisson in the last four after the French wild card’s 6-7 (8), 3-6 defeat of Mirra Andreeva in the second quarter-final.
