Coco Gauff is a woman on a mission.
The 21-year-old survived an early scare to reach her second consecutive semi-final at the French Open on Wednesday, overcoming Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.
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Keys, who won the Australian Open in January, was on a 11 match win streak in Grand Slams before facing Gauff, and when she claimed the first set, all roads pointed towards a 12th.
However, Gauff rallied in the second set, bouncing back from her missed point in the first, to breaking Keys early before going on to win the set and level the tie.
From that point, Keys’ level collapsed as Gauff stormed to a 6-1 win in the third to seal the match and her place in the last four.
Her win also served as her 10th career victory over a former Grand Slam champion, becoming the youngest player to achieve this feat since Serena Williams in 2002.
At 21, Gauff becomes the youngest woman to win 25 main draw matches at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis in 2000.
She’s also the youngest American to reach back-to-back Women’s Singles semi-finals at Roland Garros since Andrea Jaeger (16 years and 354 days) in 1982.
Gauff hadn’t beaten Keys since Dubai 2023 but has been victorious in both their major clashes.
First overcoming the Australian Open champion in their 2022 US Open showdown and now sending her home in Paris.
“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, in the post-match interview.
“I knew I had to be able to run today and as soon as the ball came short, punish her for it.
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“It means a lot, getting through this tough match. 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, who was a runner up in the 2022 French Open in an emotional loss, now advances to her fifth Grand Slam semifinal overall, three of which have come at Roland Garros.
The 2023 US Open champion will now face either Mirra Andreeva or Lois Boisson in the semi-final.
The World No.3’s win also continues an impressive run of form on clay she’s enjoyed.
After reaching back-to-back finals at the Madrid and Rome open, the American is enjoying her best tennis of the season.
Her record is 15-3 since the start of the clay season and will eye the French Open as her best opportunity to lift her first title of the season.
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Should she overcome Andreeva or Boisson, Gauff will have Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek – two opponents she knows far too well.
Sabalenka downed Gauff in the Madrid Open final while Swiatek sent the American home in the semifinals last year, a match that sparked controversial scenes over a call by the umpire.
Nevertheless, Gauff will be solely focused on the future and the chance to be the first American since Williams in 2015 to lift the French Open title.
