Coco Gauff overcame 10 double faults and the first set she has dropped at the French Open to beat Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday and reach the semifinals for the third time.
The match was filled with plenty of mistakes by both Americans, who each have claimed one major championship. They combined for 101 unforced errors and just 40 winners across more than two hours under a closed roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier on a drizzly, chilly day.
“I was just trying to fight for every point,” Gauff said.
The No. 2-seeded Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open and was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open, will face the winner of No. 6 Mirra Andreeva vs. 361st-ranked French wild card Lois Boisson in a semifinal Thursday. Gauff is 4-0 in her career against Andreeva, including two wins in 2025, and has never faced Boisson.
“I have a lot more work left to do,” said Gauff, who raised her arms overhead then spread them wide apart after the last point against Keys, “but I’m going to savor this one today.”
She started particularly poorly against Keys, trailing 4-1 and being a point from a 5-1 deficit. Gauff bowed her head or sighed after some miscues. Then suddenly she got going, using her speed and instincts to stretch points until Keys — the Australian Open champion in January — missed.
That helped Gauff get within a point of taking that set. But the 21-year-old based in Florida double-faulted three times in the tiebreaker and soon was headed to the locker room to regroup.
The first set was sloppy. Gauff had seven winners to 21 unforced errors. Keys has 12 winners to 28 unforced errors, 19 of which arrived from her powerful forehand.
“I knew that I just had to be able to run today, and as soon as the ball came short,” Gauff said, “just punish her for it.”
Repeatedly, Gauff scrambled this way or that to get her racket on a shot from Keys that against plenty of other players would end the point. Often enough, it worked well, leading to a miss by Keys, who occasionally admonished herself with a slap on her right leg.
“With her ability to cover the court,” Keys said, “you’re going to have to win the point multiple times before it’s actually over.”
Gauff is now 4-0 in her French Open career when losing the first set and winning the second set. That ties her with Elina Svitolina for the most such wins without a loss since 2019, according to ESPN Research.
She also became the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
