Gauff fights past Keys to book French Open semi-final spot
Paris, France (AFP)—Coco Gauff battled back from a set down to beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys in an error-strewn quarter-final at Roland Garros on Wednesday.
The second seed battled past her fellow American 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1 in a tense last-eight clash littered with a whopping 14 double-faults and 101 unforced errors.
Gauff will face the winner of the last quarter-final between Mirra Andreeva and world number 361 Lois Boisson for a place in her second French Open final on Thursday.
“It means a lot, especially getting through this tough match today, it wasn’t an easy match and I’m very happy to get through it,” she said.
“I’m so excited to be in the semi-finals back here again and have a lot more work to do. Just savour this one today and then next one tomorrow.”
Keys came through a tense first set in a tie-break after blowing a 4-1 lead with a double-break, but Gauff upped her level enough to fight back.
The 21-year-old was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek in a one-sided showpiece match in 2022.
Keys had been hoping to challenge for a second consecutive Grand Slam title, but failed to reach the semi-finals in Paris for a second time.
Gauff will be hoping to go at least one better than last year when she was beaten by Swiatek in the last four.
Both players seemed to struggle with nerves early on with six breaks of serve in total in the first set.
They also made 10 double-faults between them in the opener, while an off-colour Keys made 28 unforced errors and Gauff, who missed a set point in the 10th game, 21.
However, it was the seventh seed who finally fell over the line and into a one-set lead when Gauff followed her seventh double-fault by sending a wild return sailing wide of even the tramlines.
Gauff improved slightly to take a 4-1 lead herself with a double-break in the second set, only to gift Keys a way back into it with a sloppy service game finished off by another double-fault.
Keys made it three successive games with a forehand winner to level at 4-4, but then gave up the 11th break of the match.
Gauff served it out to force a decider as her opponent dumped a backhand into the net.
The 2023 US Open champion found some consistency in the third set, which was enough to ease to a victory sealed with a break to love when Keys blazed a forehand long.
