Coco Gauff Defies the Odds and Statistics in Roland Garros Quarterfinals
Coco Gauff just pulled off another one of those matches where you have to wonder if anything rattles her. Down a set and far from playing her best tennis, the 21-year-old American somehow found her way past Madison Keys, booking a spot in the French Open semifinals with a 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 win. On paper, Keys had momentum—an 11-match Grand Slam winning streak, a recent Australian Open title, and more experience in high-pressure points. But Gauff had something just as relentless: the stubborn refusal to lose, a trait she’s carried since she broke onto the scene as a 15-year-old.
The match started off rough for Gauff. She sprayed unforced errors, lost a tense first set in a tiebreak, and even looked a bit out of sorts with her racquet setup. But pressure, especially the kind that comes with playing on the second-biggest stage in tennis, is something Gauff eats for breakfast nowadays. She changed her racquet tension, started going for riskier shots instead of waiting for mistakes, and suddenly the tide turned. From being only a handful of points from the exit, Gauff snatched control, breaking Keys’ resistance and sprinting through the final set.
This win does more than just send Gauff into another Grand Slam semifinal. She’s now the youngest player to collect 25 Roland Garros victories since Martina Hingis did it back in 2000. For perspective, not even Serena Williams—at Gauff’s age—had racked up as many wins in Paris. Speaking of Serena, Gauff has now matched a 23-year-old Williams record, joining a conversation with the sport’s biggest legends. The details of that specific record are under wraps, but what matters is this: putting your name beside Serena Williams means you’re doing something right.
Gauff opened up after her hard-fought win, saying, “I’m a very competitive person. My philosophy is if I can just leave it all out there, then the loss will hurt a lot less than regrets of maybe not giving it your all.” That spirit was on full display against Keys, whose powerful game looked unstoppable until Gauff imposed her will in the middle of the second set. Keys, who had battled through match points in earlier rounds, just couldn’t keep up with Gauff’s shift in tempo and aggression.
Next Stop: A Surprising Semifinal Clash
For all the big names that reach this phase of Roland Garros, Gauff’s next opponent is a shock to the tennis world. French wild card Loïs Boisson, ranked 361st in the world, is putting together the kind of Cinderella run you usually only see in movies. The contrast couldn’t be sharper—Gauff, the established star with her eyes on a second Grand Slam, facing Boisson, whose own historic charge into the semifinals is one for the French tennis books.
With the pressure only mounting and the stakes getting higher, Gauff is showing why she’s one of the sport’s most exciting young stars. She’s learning, adjusting on the fly, and already hitting milestones that once belonged only to Serena Williams. Whatever happens next, Gauff’s competitive edge and knack for turning adversity into fuel are setting new standards at Roland Garros—and forcing everyone to take notice of the next wave of American tennis greatness.