Coco Gauff Advances To French Open Final With A Dominant Performance
At Roland Garros, Coco Gauff put on a display of pure dominance, ending Loïs Boisson’s run at the French Open with a 6-1, 6-2 victory on Thursday (June 5).
During the match, Gauff overpowered Boisson, who finished with just seven winners. She made only 15 unforced errors, to Boisson's 33. Gauff also won 34 of 51 points that lasted five strokes or more.
After her win, it was not lost on Gauff just how significant the moment was.
“I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that (makes) me realize how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position,” Gauff said to the Associated Press. “At first, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and, you know, the sun still rose the next day. ... Regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.”
Gauff shared how intense it was to face an opponent on their home turf with the crowd cheering them on.
"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," Gauff said to the crowd.
"When you were saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself,” she added.
With the victory, Gauff, who is seeded and ranked second in the world, is set to face Aryna Sabalenka, the top-seeded and ranked player, in the championship match. Additionally, the duel will be a rematch of the 2023 US Open final, in which Gauff defeated Sabalenka to win her first major championship at the age of 19.
This will be the first time the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 women's final has been held 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 Australian Open in 2018.
Gauff will take on Sabalenka in the French Open Final on Saturday, June 7.