French Open: Coco Gauff faces a
Frenchwoman ranked 361st in the semifinals. Djokovic, Sinner win
[June 05, 2025]
By HOWARD FENDRICH
PARIS (AP) — That No. 2 seed Coco Gauff reached Thursday's French
Open semifinals should surprise no one. Her 361st-ranked opponent
for a berth in the title match? That's a whole other story.
Gauff made it to the final four at Roland-Garros for the third time,
getting past No. 7 Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday in a
quarterfinal between two Americans who both have won a major title.
Next up for 2023 U.S. Open champion Gauff? A matchup against French
wild-card entry Loïs Boisson, who extended one of the most stunning
runs in tennis history by beating No. 6 Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3.
“Unbelievable,” Boisson said. “Incredible.”
Those are a couple of good words for what's been happening.
A year ago, Boisson was supposed to make her Grand Slam debut in
Paris, but she tore a knee ligament and couldn't compete. Now 22,
Boisson is the first woman to get to the semifinals of her first
major tournament since Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati did it at
the 1989 French Open and is the lowest-ranked to get that far at
Roland-Garros in at least 40 years.
She's doing it with a game made for clay, anchored by heavy
groundstrokes and buoyed by a rowdy, partisan crowd that rattled the
18-year-old Andreeva — she was warned for ball abuse for smacking
one toward the upper deck after one bad volley — and was just as
loud when Boisson upset No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round.
“I love to play with the crowd. I love to hear my name when I won a
point and everything,” Boisson said. “For me, it’s just something
plus. It’s not pressure. But I think it’s also really difficult for
(a) player from (another) country.”
Over and over again, the chair umpire tried to tell the 15,000 or so
spectators to be quiet as their thunderous applause and shouts of
Boisson's first name reverberated off the inside of the closed roof
at Court Philippe-Chatrier. They didn't heed those requests. They
jeered and whistled when Andreeva complained about noise between her
first and second serves or argued line calls.
“It’s normal that they would support a French player, so I knew that
it’s going to be like this. I think that in the first set, I managed
it pretty well (and) I didn’t really pay attention to that,”
Andreeva said. “But obviously with nerves and with pressure, it
became a little harder.”
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France's Lois Boisson reacts as she won the quarterfinal match of
the French Tennis Open against Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the
Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien
Morissard)
When the match ended, Boisson collapsed to her
back, chest heaving and hands on her face. When she rose, there were
flecks of rust-colored clay all over, including her forehead.
No matter what happens the rest of the way, Boisson certainly has
left her mark on the 2025 French Open.
“I think every kid who plays tennis has the dream to win a Slam.
More for a French player to win Roland Garros, for sure,” she said.
“So, yeah, it’s a dream. For sure, I will go for the dream — because
my dream is to win it, not to be in the semifinal.”
What else happened at the French Open on Wednesday?
Novak Djokovic and No. 1 Jannik Sinner set up a semifinal showdown
with victories. Djokovic reached his record 51st Grand Slam
semifinal as he pursues his 25th major championship with a 4-6, 6-3,
6-2, 6-4 win over No. 3 Alexander Zverev, last year's runner-up. And
Sinner got back to the semifinals in Paris for the second year in a
row with his latest overpowering performance, defeating unseeded
Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in under two hours. Sinner has
dropped just 36 games through five matches.
Who plays at Roland-Garros on Thursday?
The two women's semifinals are the only singles matches on the Day
12 schedule, with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek facing
No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in just their second matchup at a Grand
Slam tournament, and Gauff meeting Boisson. The men's semifinals are
Friday, including defending champion Carlos Alcaraz vs. Lorenzo
Musetti.
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