French Open: Coco Gauff beats Madison Keys in 3 sets to reach the semifinals
PARIS (AP) — 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.
The No. 2-seeded Gauff won the 2023 U.S. Open and was the runner-up at the 2022 French Open. She'll play Thursday for a berth in another Grand Slam final, facing either No. 6 Mirra Andreeva or 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'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.
That 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. And often enough, it worked well, leading to a miss by Keys, who occasionally admonished herself with a slap on her right leg.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
'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.'
___
More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Read more on the French Open at thestar.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Globe and Mail
31 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Carlos Alcaraz reaches French Open final after Lorenzo Musetti retires with injury in fourth set
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal in the fourth set. Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when the eighth-seeded Italian stopped 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 fourth. 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. 'I felt at the beginning of the third when I was serving, I start losing a little bit of strength on the left leg behind, and definitely was going worse and worse, so I decided to stop,' Musetti said. 'I think was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted. Tomorrow I will do exams.' Alcaraz, who is seeded second, goes for his second French Open title and fifth major against top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy or 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final. They were playing their semifinal later Friday. 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. Musetti clinched the first set when Alcaraz sent a forehand wide, one of his 16 unforced errors in the set. 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 raised his right fist triumphantly. Musetti broke back to force a tiebreaker, which Alcaraz 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. '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.' Musetti was playing in only his second major semifinal after reaching the same stage at Wimbledon last year, when he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. Alcaraz said after beating Musetti a sixth straight time 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, winning titles on the dirt in Rome – beating Sinner in the final after the Italian returned from his doping ban – and Monte Carlo, where he beat Musetti. 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.
National Post
33 minutes ago
- National Post
Rory McIlroy makes snowman at RBC Canadian Open, likely going home early
CALEDON, Ont. — Rory McIlroy's visit to Canada is on its way to be a quick one after a disastrous start to his second round at the RBC Canadian Open. Article content After sailing his second shot on the fifth hole from deep rough over the green and near a set of train tracks, his best plan might have been to hang out there and wait for the next train out of town. Article content Article content The two-time tournament champ in Canada made a quadruple-bogey eight on the fifth hole at TPC Toronto. After losing his approach shot and hitting his next shot over the green as well, McIlroy sailed his fifth shot back across the putting surface, before finally chipping on and missing his triple-bogey putt. Article content That would be an eight. A snowman. Very Canadian, but not ideal. Article content Missing the cut in Canada would mean the end of competitive rounds to get used to his new driver ahead of next week's U.S. Open at Oakmont. Article content After shooting a one-over 71 on Thursday with the course playing soft, McIlroy knew he needed a good day on Friday to get back in the tournament. Article content 'I'm going to have to, as I said, do a little bit better tomorrow to be here for the weekend and give myself a chance,' he said after Round 1. Article content That didn't happen. Article content After an interesting few weeks beginning with a failed driver test at the PGA Championship and some media silence, McIlroy arrived at one of his favourite tournaments looking for a return of the good vibes. Article content The Northern Irishman has already racked up wins at Pebble Beach, TPC Sawgrass and Augusta National, where he completed the career grand slam with his Masters triumph. Article content Article content I asked Rory about his curious decision not to speak to media after any round at PGA Championship last month. Thought he explained himself well. My column in today's @TheTorontoSun: 👉 — Jon McCarthy (@jonmccarthySUN) June 5, 2025 Article content 'I haven't hidden my sort of aspirations for national Opens and where I would like them to be, what their standing is in the professional game of golf. So this has meant a lot,' McIlroy said of his trips to Canada. Article content 'Before playing in this event, 2016, 2017, 2018, I missed three cuts in a row at the U.S. Open, and since playing the Canadian Open the week before, I've had six top-10s in a row. So there's something to that,' he added.
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
French Open: Carlos Alcaraz reaches final after Lorenzo Musetti retires with injury in fourth set
PARIS (AP) — Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal in the fourth set. Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 when the eighth-seeded Italian stopped 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.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Musetti had treatment on the inside of his left thigh late in the third set and then again before the fourth. 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. 'I felt at the beginning of the third when I was serving, I start losing a little bit of strength on the left leg behind, and definitely was going worse and worse, so I decided to stop,' Musetti said. 'I think was the right decision to make, even if it was not what I wanted. Tomorrow I will do exams.' Alcaraz, who is seeded second, goes for his second French Open title and fifth major against top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy or 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final. They were playing their semifinal later Friday. 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Musetti clinched the first set when Alcaraz sent a forehand wide, one of his 16 unforced errors in the set. 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 raised his right fist triumphantly. Musetti broke back to force a tiebreaker, which Alcaraz 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. '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.' Musetti was playing in only his second major semifinal after reaching the same stage at Wimbledon last year, when he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. Alcaraz said after beating Musetti a sixth straight time he feels in top shape physically for the final. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW '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, winning titles on the dirt in Rome — beating Sinner in the final after the Italian returned from his doping ban — and Monte Carlo, where he beat Musetti. 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. ___ AP tennis: Read more on the French Open at
