French favourite Lois Boisson’s dream run at Roland-Garros was ended as Coco Gauff booked her place in Saturday’s final with a 6-1 6-2 victory.
Gauff, going in search of her second Grand Slam title, will face world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final as she ended the four-time champion Iga Swiatek’s streak of 26 consecutive wins at the French Open dating back to 2021.
In the first meeting between the WTA’s two most dominant players at a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open, Sabalenka emerged victorious 7-6 (7-1) 4-6 6-0 in a hugely topsy-turvy contest.
New French star Boisson beaten by Gauff to end dream run
Ranked 361st in the world on her Grand Slam debut, Boisson’s semi-final against world No 2 Guaff was simply a stage too far for the new French star.
The 22-year-old became both the lowest-ranked semi-finalist at Roland-Garros in the last 40 years, and the lowest quarter-finalist at any Grand Slam since 2017 with her storied run that contained wins over 24th seed Elise Mertens in the first round, world No 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth and semi-finalist last year – and sixth seed – Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
But 2023 US Open champion Gauff calmly and confidently stormed to a straight-sets win, dropping only three games, denying the fervent French crowd the chance to rally behind their first female semi-finalist at Roland-Garros since Marion Bartoli in 2011.
Gauff immediately broke her opponent twice, before staving off three break points opportunities when holding serve in the fourth game, as she took the opening set 6-1.
Boisson immediately broke back after dropping her serve in the fourth game of the second, to very briefly give hope to a stirring fightback, only for Gauff to rattle off the next three games – dropping only one point – to clinch victory and book her second French Open final, and first since 2022.
Coco Gauff lost out to Iga Swiatek in her first French Open final in 2022
Gauff was runner-up to Swiatek on that occasion, but went on to win her home slam at Flushing Meadows the following year, beating Sabalenka in the final.
“I knew [a strong start] was important today,” Gauff said after her semi-final triumph. “Lois is obviously an incredible player. For her to have the tournament she had, she definitely proved she is one of the best players in the world – especially on clay – and I’m sure we’ll have many more battles in the future.”
Addressing the crowd, the American added: “This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it was to be 99 per cent for her so I was trying to block it out.
“When you were saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself.”
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British tennis player Harriet Dart was not happy during a match with Lois Boisson earlier this year, complaining that her opponent smelt bad
Though Boisson’s incredible Grand Slam debut has ended, her £580,000 (approx.) earnings is five times more than what she’s secured over the course of her career so far, with her final four run also catapulting her up to 65th in the world rankings.
“Today it was quite simply too tough for me,” she said in her press conference. “I couldn’t manage to get my game going but, apart from today’s match, the tournament as a whole was very positive.”
Sabalenka ends Swiatek’s reign to reach first French final
Swiatek’s reign as the queen of clay was ended by Sabalenka as the world No 1 – a three-time champion on hard courts – booked a first final on the red clay of the French.
Aryna Sabalenka is through to her first French Open final after ending Iga Swiatek’s win streak at Roland-Garros
Swiatek was looking to become the first female player in the Open era to win four consecutive titles in Paris, but Sabalenka’s powerful hitting immediately unsettled the Pole as she raced into a 3-0 lead with two early breaks of serve.
Sabalenka thought she had served an ace for a 5-1 lead, only for a let call to deny her, as Swiatek suddenly rattled off four games in a row, drawing level at 4-4 courtesy of a double-fault from her opponent before edging 5-4 ahead.
But Sabalenka regrouped impressively to ultimately win the set, taking a tie-breaker for the loss of only one point.
Both players’ struggles on serve continued, with three-straight breaks to start the second set, before Swiatek stepped up and served things out to level the match.
However, Sabalenka’s levels – including her noise levels – moved up a notch again in the decider as she bageled Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam champion winning only six points the entire set as she ran out of steam.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has failed to reach a tournament final since her Roland-Garros win last year
It continues a rough stretch for Swiatek, who has not even reached a final at any tournament since walking away with the title for a fourth time – and third in a row – in Paris 12 months ago.
“I mean, 6-love,” Sabalenka said of her third set performance. “It could not be more perfect than that.
“Honestly, it feels incredible but I understand the job is not done yet. I’m just thrilled today with this win and the atmosphere in the stadium.
“She [Swiatek] is the toughest opponenent, especially on clay, especially at Roland-Garros. It was a tough match it was a tricky match but I managed and I’m super proud right now.”
Henman: Sabalenka does ‘demolition job’ on Swiatek
Former British No 1 Tim Henman, said on TNT Sports: “It was an amazing performance [from Sabalenka].
“It was a very difficult match to predict in the first two sets – both players competing so hard – but when they got to the third set, it was an absolute demolition job.
“Swiatek rarely loses a set on clay, let alone a 6-0 set. In the semis of a slam, on clay and her favourite court, it was a staggering outcome.
“Sabalenka’s ball-striking and the way she was just able to dominate proceedings, it was incredible. It couldn’t have been more perfect than that.”
Coco Gauff dropped only three games in her semi-final win over French hopeful Lois Boisson
Speaking on Sabalenka’s opponent in the final, Henman added: “Gauff was brilliant in every department. The way Coco went about her game plan, she was so solid, so consistent.
“And mentally, she talked about it, she was blocking out the crowd. She just never let up, the concentration was relentless and she’s delivered the perfect performance to get through to the final.
“When the dust settles, Boisson will look back on the last two weeks in Paris, what she has achieved, and just how that is going to change her life.
“From 361 in the world, she’s now going to be inside the top 70 (65th) and the opportunities will open up. She will be able to build on this performance with so much confidence going forward.”
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