Gauff battles past Keys to reach semi-finals

Coco Gauff, the world number two, praised her "will to win." She overcame a rough start to defeat Madison Keys. This victory took her to the semi-finals of the French Open.

Gauff won with scores of 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, and 6-1. The match took place under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier. This is Gauff's third semi-final appearance at Roland Garros.

Both players struggled early in the match. However, Gauff found her rhythm late in the second set. She then dominated in the third set.

When asked about her fighting spirit, Gauff said she has always had it. "I have a love to win," she explained. "I'm very competitive in everything I do."

Gauff believes that giving her all makes losses easier to handle. She won the French Open doubles title with Katerina Siniakova in 2024. In the semi-finals, she will face Lois Boisson, ranked 361st.

Boisson reached this stage after defeating Mirra Andreeva in straight sets. Gauff has performed well on clay this year. She reached finals in Madrid and Rome but lost both matches.

The match started nervously for both players as they traded breaks. Keys quickly settled and took a 4-1 lead over Gauff. Despite this, Gauff fought back and held a set point but lost in the tie-break.

In the second set, Keys made unforced errors and fell behind by two breaks. However, she managed to cancel out one break advantage against her opponent. Eventually, Gauff leveled the match with another break and hold.

Gauff had nine double faults in the first two sets. In contrast, Keys finished with 60 unforced errors compared to Gauff's 41 errors. This difference helped Gauff dominate the final set after finding her serve.

"It wasn't an easy match," said Gauff after winning. "[Keys] is a great player with one of the best forehands."

She knew she needed to run hard during points and punish any short balls from Keys.

This victory marks Gauff's third win over Keys in six meetings. It is also her first victory against Keys on clay courts.

In previous years at Roland Garros, Gauff lost to eventual champions four times. If she wins her semi-final match, she will face either Iga Swiatek or Aryna Sabalenka in the final.