World number two Coco Gauff praised her “will to win” after she overcame a scrappy start to beat fellow American Madison Keys and reach the semi-finals of the French Open.
Gauff won 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-1 under the roof on Court Phillippe Chatrier to reach her third semi-final at Roland Garros.
Both players were well below their best but Gauff eventually found her rhythm late in the second set and kicked on to dominate in the third.
Asked about her fighting spirit, Gauff, 21, said: “I think just a love to win, the will to win – I have always had that in me, and not just in tennis but in everything. I’m a very competitive person.
“My philosophy is if I can just leave it all out there, then the loss will hurt a lot less than regrets of maybe not giving it your all.”
Gauff, who won the French Open doubles title alongside Czech Katerina Siniakova in 2024, will face world number 361 Lois Boisson in the semi-finals after the French wildcard defeated Mirra Andreeva in straight sets.
Gauff has fared well on clay so far this year, reaching back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome where she missed out on titles to Aryna Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini respectively.
A nervy start saw Gauff and Keys trade early breaks but Keys settled quickly as her rival continued to flounder, opening up a 4-1 lead.
To Gauff’s credit, she fought her way back into proceedings and held set point, but Australian Open champion Keys came through in the tie-break.
Unforced errors started to creep into Keys’ game during the second set and she quickly found herself on the backfoot at a double break down.
But just as Gauff had in the first set, Keys cancelled out the advantage, only for her opponent to level the match with another break and a hold.
Gauff had conceded nine double faults across the opening two sets but it was Keys who finished the match with 60 unforced errors off her racquet, compared to Gauff’s 41.
That ultimately proved to be the difference as Gauff, having finally found her serve, raced through the deciding set.
“It wasn’t an easy match and I’m very happy to get through it,” she said.
“[Keys] is obviously a very great player and her forehand is probably one of the best, if not the best, on tour.
“I knew that I just had to be able to run today. As soon as the ball came short, I knew I had to punish her for it.”
It is the third time Gauff – the 2023 US Open champion – has beaten Keys in six meetings and marked the first time she has beaten the 30-year-old on clay.
Gauff has lost to the eventual winner on each of her past four appearances at the French Open and if she can get through her semi-final, she will face either defending champion Iga Swiatek or world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
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