Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
Dislodging clumps of clay with heavy drives, Madison Keys showed sheer power in the first set.
A fierce Coco Gauff unleashed closing power in the decider.
In a nervy all-American clash of major champions, Gauff roared through eight of the last nine games conquering Keys 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 to advance to her third Roland Garros semifinal in the last four years.
The 2022 French Open finalist snapped Keys’ 11-match major winning streak and made history of her own.
The 21-year–old Gauff improved to 25-5 lifetime at Roland Garros—she’s the youngest woman since the legendary Martina Hingis to post 25 wins in Paris.
Hunting for her second career Grand Slam crown, Gauff will face either 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva, the 2024 semifinalist, or French wild card and Cinderella story Lois Boisson, who shocked No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round.
“I changed something at 4-1 and then after that I had chances to win the first set,” Gauff told Hall of Famer Mats Wilander afterward. “I was just trying to hit the ball deep and be aggressive, but it’s tough because she hits the ball so fast and low.
“She’s obviously a very great player. Her forehand is probably one of the best if not the best on the Tour. I was just trying my best to get it on the other side of the court…Honestly I knew I had to be able to run today and as soon as the ball came short I had to punish her for it.”
Indeed, ultimately Gauff won this quarterfinal on quick court coverage and consistency r Truth be told, this was unruly—and at times—ugly tennis as the pair combined for 14 breaks and 101 unforced errors.
Australian Open champion Keys, who played such dynamic tennis under extreme pressure beating Iga Swiatek and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in succession in capturing her maiden major in Melbourne, wasn’t swinging freely today. Keys coughed up 60 unforced errors, often flat-lining drives into net, while Gauff clanked 10 double faults, including seven doubles in that opening set.
Credit Gauff for cleaning up her game considerably when it mattered most.
In the final set, Gauff made just two unforced errors, while Keys committed 16 unforced errors.
On a cool, damp, drizzly Paris afternoon the retractable roof over Court Philippe Chatrier was closed. It created clean conditions for ball striking, but also a pressure cooker for this quarterfinal. Gauff said later the closed roof created slower conditions—that favored one of the fastest women in the sport.
“I changed [string] tension,” Gauff said. “It’s difficult to find the tension and how you want to play, honestly.
This was more high drama than high quality. Given the stakes you can understand why it was more scratchy than superb play.