Coco Gauff battled through 10 double faults and dropped her first set of the tournament to defeat Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 at the French Open on Wednesday, advancing to the semifinals for the third time.
The match was marked by numerous errors from both American players, who each have a major title to their name. Together, they made 101 unforced errors and hit only 40 winners during the more than two-hour contest under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier on a chilly, rainy day.
Nearly half of the games—14 out of 29—featured service breaks. But starting from 4-all in the second set, Gauff held serve four consecutive times and dominated by winning eight of the final nine games. She committed just two unforced errors in the last set, including a single double fault.
Seeded No. 2, Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open and was the runner-up at last year’s French Open. She will play Thursday for a spot in another Grand Slam final, facing either No. 6 Mirra Andreeva or the French wild card Loïs Boisson, ranked 361st.
The other women’s semifinal promises to be an exciting clash between three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, both of whom advanced with quarterfinal wins on Tuesday. Swiatek was the player who halted Gauff’s run at Roland-Garros in last year’s semifinals and in the final three years ago.
“I have a lot more work left to do,” Gauff said after her win, raising her arms in celebration. “But I’m going to savor this one today.”
Gauff had a rocky start, falling behind 4-1 and narrowly avoiding a 5-1 deficit twice. She appeared frustrated with herself after some mistakes but soon found her rhythm, using her speed and instincts to extend rallies until Keys, the Australian Open champion, made errors.
This effort brought Gauff within a point of winning the first set, but three double faults in the tiebreaker sent her to the locker room for a reset.
The first set was error-filled: Gauff had seven winners against 21 unforced errors, while Keys had 12 winners and 28 unforced errors, many from her powerful forehand.
“Her forehand is probably one of the best—if not the best—on tour,” Gauff said. “I was just trying my best to get it on the other side of the court. I knew I had to run today and punish her whenever the ball came short.”
Throughout the match, Gauff chased down shots that might have ended the point against other players, often forcing Keys into mistakes. Keys, visibly frustrated at times, even slapped her right leg in disappointment.
“With her court coverage,” Keys noted, “you have to win the point multiple times before it’s actually over.”
The crowd showed strong support for Gauff with chants of “Let’s go, Coco!” in both English and French.
By ending Keys’ 11-match winning streak at Grand Slam events, Gauff keeps her hopes alive for capturing a second major title.