French Open: Coco Gauff beats Madison Keys in 3 sets to reach the semifinals
PARIS — Coco Gauff overcame 10 double-faults and the first set she's dropped in the tournament to beat Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 at the French Open on Wednesday, reaching the semifinals for the third time.
It was a contest filled with plenty of mistakes by both Americans, who each has 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.
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Carlos Alcaraz battles past Lorenzo Musetti to reach French Open final
Carlos Alcaraz continued his imperious march through the clay-court season as he reached his second consecutive French Open final by defeating Lorenzo Musetti, the eighth seed, who was forced to retire with a left thigh injury while Alcaraz led 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0. After a difficult start to the year, the 22-year-old has found his way in a clay-court season that has yielded Masters 1000 titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. He will now attempt to become the third man this century after Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten to defend a French Open title. Alcaraz, the second seed in Paris, is also the fifth youngest man in the open era to reach five grand slam finals and he will attempt to extend his record to winning all of them. He is won 21 matches and lost once on clay this year. Advertisement Related: French Open 2025 semi-finals: Sinner v Djokovic, Alcaraz battles past Musetti – live Alcaraz will face either Jannik Sinner, the world No 1, or the 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in the final. 'I'm not going to miss it,' said Alcaraz of the second semi-final. 'This match is one of the best match-ups we have in tennis right now, Sinner against Djokovic. It's going to be great tennis. As a huge fan of tennis, I'm going to watch it, I'm going to enjoy it. Of course, I'm going to take tactics from the match.' Although the Spaniard was in the favourable half of the draw, away from Novak Djokovic and others, Musetti has established himself as one of the toughest opponents in the sport. The pair have spent much of their young lives competing against each other after coming up through the junior circuit together. Although Musetti, also 23, enjoyed a greater junior career, Alcaraz established himself at the top of the sport faster than most players in history. Over the past year, the Italian has finally made a significant leap forward. Last year, he reached his first grand slam semi-final at Wimbledon and won an Olympic bronze medal at Roland Garros. He followed those breakthrough results with a remarkable clay-court season this year, reaching his first Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo and then rolling to the semi-finals in Madrid and Rome. After playing and winning so many matches recently, the physical challenge presented by Alcaraz proved a step too far. Advertisement In this era of rigid, one-note baseliners, Musetti's style is as distinct as Alcaraz's. He peppers opponents with his variety of shots, including backhand slices, drop shots, net forays, and a sweet single-handed backhand. He is also a brilliant athlete and one of the very best movers. Their shared creativity made for a wonderful, quality spectacle for two and a half sets on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where no two shots either player struck were the same. Hannah Klugman has become the first British player to reach the French Open juniors final in almost 50 years. The 16-year-old from Kingston-upon-Thames battled through to her maiden grand slam final after a gritty 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over the Bulgarian Rositsa Dencheva. Klugman is the first Briton to achieve the feat since Michelle Tyler claimed the title in 1976, the same year Sue Barker won the women's event. Advertisement Klugman will face 17-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger in Saturday's final. Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski are through to the final of the men's doubles. The confidence and momentum Musetti has built in recent weeks was immediately evident. He started the match playing fearless, varied attacking tennis, serving well, attacking his forehand and searching for opportunities to close down the net. He outsmarted and outmanoeuvred Alcaraz, who prides himself on his ability to disrupt his opponents, throughout the opening set. Alcaraz had to be patient as he tried to turn the match around. He failed to consolidate his early break in set two, immediately handing the break back, then he also failed to serve out the set at 6-5. While he lost his focus on key points, he also had to accept that his opponent's stellar level caused much of his misfortune. Despite his issues, Alcaraz saved his best stretch of tennis for the most critical point of the match, blazing through a brilliant tie-break to take the second set. Advertisement With that, Alcaraz opened his shoulders and began to consistently impose his greater weight of shot. He grew in confidence behind his serve and struck his forehand spectacularly from then on, tearing Musetti's brilliant defence apart: 'He was playing great tennis,' said Alcaraz. 'When I won the second set, it was a little bit of a relief. In the third set, I knew what I had to do, just to push him to the limit. Just trying to be aggressive, not let him dominate the game and just being myself. I was more calm, I could see things more clearly and I played great tennis at the beginning of the third set.' However, as Alcaraz gained momentum in the third set, Musetti gradually began to slow down. Down 5-0, the match falling away from him, the Italian received a medical timeout for his left thigh. He lasted only three more games before he decided he could no longer continue.
Yahoo
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Michelle Obama to publish new book 'The Look' this fall and 'reclaim' fashion story
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NBC Sports
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Carlos Alcaraz reaches French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retires with injury in fourth set
PARIS — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal early in the fourth set. Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when the eighth-seeded Italian had to stop playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier. 'It's not great to win a match like this. Lorenzo is a great player,' Alcaraz said. 'I wish him all the best, and wish him a quick recovery and hope to see him soon on the court.' Musetti had treatment on the inside of his left thigh late in the third set and then again before the start of the fourth. The 23-year-old Musetti was 5-0 down after 16 minutes of the third set when he called for a trainer. Alcaraz broke Musetti in the next game to clinch the set in 21 minutes, winning 24 of 29 points. Musetti was clearly hindered in his movements and called for the trainer again. After Alcaraz broke his serve to lead 2-0, Musetti walked slowly up to the net and received a hug from Alcaraz. Alcaraz had made 16 unforced errors in the first set, which Musetti clinched when the Spaniard sent a foreheand wide. 'The first two sets were really tough,' Alcaraz said. 'When I won the second set I was relieved. Then in the third set I knew what I had to do. I knew I could push him to the limit by just keep being aggressive. I managed to be myself, be more calm, I could see much clearer and play great tennis.' The 22-year-old Alcaraz, who is seeded second, goes for his second French Open title and fifth major overall against either top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy or 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final. Actor Dustin Hoffman and former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were in the crowd as Musetti — whose one-handed backhand is among the best in tennis — showed his stroke-making ability early on. Musetti fans with clown wigs in the colors of the Italian flag cheered him on. Frustration got to Alcaraz, who aimed a side-footed kick at his changeover seat during the second set. The relief was evident when he broke Musetti's serve in the 11th game and then raised his right fist triumphantly. Musetti broke back to force a tiebreaker, which Alcaraz then dominated. The Spaniard clinched the set when Musetti meekly patted his drop shot into the net when a winner down the line was on offer. Musetti was playing in only his second major semifinal after reaching the same stage at Wimbledon last year, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. Alcaraz said he feels in top shape physically for the final. 'Really good. It's been three intense weeks but I'm feeling great,' he said. 'I have a lot of confidence right now. I'm going to give everything on Sunday.' Alcaraz improved to 21-1 on clay this year, while Musetti fell short of becoming only the second Italian man to reach the French Open final after Adriano Panatta, who won it in 1976. But Sinner still had a chance to do so.
