Coco Gauff reached her second final at Roland Garros by beating Loïs Boisson 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday to end the surprising, upset-filled run by the French wild-card entry.
The victory by Gauff, who is seeded and ranked second, sets up a blockbuster championship match against Aryna Sabalenka, seeded and ranked first, on Saturday.
Sabalenka is a three-time major champion and earned a shot at a fourth by ending Iga Swiatek’s 26-match French Open winning streak. Sabalenka’s 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 win in the semifinals prevented Swiatek from becoming the first woman to win four consecutive championships in Paris in the Open era (since 1968).
This will be just the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 women’s final at the French Open in the past 30 years and the first at any Grand Slam since No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki defeated No. 1 Simona Halep at the 2018 Australian Open.
It’s also a rematch of the 2023 US Open final, in which Gauff beat Sabalenka to claim her first major trophy at age 19.
Gauff was the runner-up to Swiatek at Roland Garros in 2022.
Ranked 361st in the world, Boisson had downed world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in the previous rounds, but she looked deflated against Gauff. The 22-year-old will, however, pocket a career-changing 690,000 euros ($789,567) in prize money.
Playing a local favorite at Roland Garros in front of a notoriously fierce crowd can be a challenge even for the most seasoned players, but Gauff came prepared.
“This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it was to be 99% for her, so I was trying to block it out,” said Gauff.
Addressing the crowd, she added: “When you were saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself.”
On Thursday, Gauff’s forehand was solid again, her backhand mesmerizing at times, and she served consistently throughout.
Boisson, on the other hand, made an unusual number of unforced errors as her opponent repeatedly forced her to go for the extra shot.
Gauff raced to a 4-0 lead under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof and never looked back, breaking to love at 3-2 in the second set right after Boisson broke her serve for the first time.
The American was on an eight-point winning streak, and at the change of ends at 5-2, Boisson placed her towel over her head and hit herself in frustration.
“It’s always the plan to start strong,” Gauff said. “I knew it was important today. She’s an incredible player. She proved to be one of the best players in the world, especially on clay. I’m sure we’ll have more battles in the future.”
The first Frenchwoman to reach the last four at Roland Garros since Marion Bartoli in 2011, Boisson bowed out when she sent yet another forehand long.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
