By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Tuesday, June 4, 2024
US Open champion Coco Gauff beat Ons Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach her second Roland Garros semifinal in the last three years.
Photo credit: Clive Mason/Getty
The expansive Court Philippe Chatrier provides plenty of room to roam and nowhere to hide.
Surrendering a set for the first time in Paris, Coco Gauff calmly reset and ran Ons Jabeur right out of Paris.
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US Open champion Gauff rallied past Jabeur 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach her second Roland Garros semifinal in the last three years.
It is Gauff's third straight Grand Slam semifinal appearance.
"It means a lot to me," Gauff told the media in Paris. "I've been trying to do better at being consistent in the big tournaments, and I'm reaching that level of consistency.
"Obviously, very happy to reach the semifinal. Sure, everybody knows I want to go all the way."
Auckland champion Gauff defeated Jabeur for the fifth time in seven meetings, advancing to her fifth semifinal of the season.
"She's a tough opponent and she's well loved on tour," Gauff said in her on-court interview. "And I could tell by the crowd today, you guys wanted her to win.
"Honestly, when she's not playing [me], I cheer for her too. Thank you guys for making this a great atmosphere. The people up there made it really fun for me. I like playing in environments like this. Even though you guys were for Ons, I really had a lot of fun, even when I lost the first set and they were chanting when I was in the bathroom, I was like this is really fun win or lose."
Gauff converted four of five break points and applied her physicality and speed to wear Jabeur down as the match progressed.
The third-seeded Gauff will face world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Thursday's semifinal that's a rematch of the 2022 French Open final.
In a clash of Grand Slam champions, Swiatek sped through seven straight games demolishing Marketa Vondrousova, 6-0, 6-2, to roll into the Roland Garros semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years.
Riding a 19-match Roland Garros winning streak into the semifinals, Swiatek has handled Gauff in the past. Swiatek punished the American's forehand wing stopping Gauff 6-1, 6-3 in that 2022 French Open final.
World No. 1 Swiatek has dominated Gauff, winning 10 of their 11 clashes and turning many of those encounters into a horror show for the American. Swiatek has won 21 of 23 sets vs. Gauff, sweeping all eight sets they’ve played on clay, including a 6-4, 6-3 Rome semifinal win last month. In that match, Gauff tried to take the first strike and assert more aggression.
It's on Gauff to flip a tactical switch and try show Swiatek something different in the rematch.
"I definitely think I have to find a better way to play her than the last times I played on clay because I've obviously been unsuccessful the last couple of times we've played, regardless of the surface and anything," said Gauff, whose lone over Swiatek came on Cincinnati's hard court. "She's definitely a tough opponent for me and for anybody.
"Yeah, I think for me I just have to go back and watch and try to find what I have to do. I think she's playing great tennis here, so it's going to be a challenge, but I'm going to go into the match with a lot of belief that I can. I'm going to try to get, you know, a plan from my team and then also my own plan and see where we can find a blend."
Tormented by touch in the opening set, Gauff relied on court coverage and competitiveness to transform the tenor of today’s first quarterfinal.
Contesting her second straight Roland Garros quarterfinal, Jabeur carved up Gauff with repeated drop shots and slices in a confident opening set.
Playing brilliant soft drop shots that often eluded even the speedy Gauff, Jabeur had the ball on a string as she broke for 4-3.
The two-time Wimbledon finalist won six straight points backing up the break at love for 5-3.
On her third set point, Jabeur pumped an ace to end an opening set that saw Jabeur more than double Gauff’s winner total, 12 to 5.
As the second set progressed, Gauff was engaging Jabeur in longer rallies and targeting the Tunisian’s two-handed backhand.
Playing closer to the baseline, Gauff was trying to direct rallies in the second set. On triple break point, Jabeur steered a forehand down the line wide as Gauff broke at love for a 4-2 second-set lead.
Errors were piling up for Jabeur, who was trying to shorten points. Three straight netted forehands from the Tunisian gave Gauff the break to snatch the second set. Jabeur more than doubled Gauff’s error total—13 to 6—in the second set.
By then, the depth of Gauff’s drives gave Jabeur little opportunity to conjure those magical drop shots she pulled off in the opening set.
The 29-year-old Tunisian looked a little more weary and was spraying shots. Jabeur tried the leaping, Marcelo Rios-style leaping two-handed backhand—a shot she landed in the opening set—but sprayed it wide as Gauff broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider.
A sharp Gauff streaked through her second love hold for 4-1.
Exhorted by her coach, Jabeur saved a match point and dabbed a delicate drop shot to hold for 3-5 and force Gauff to serve for a semifinal spot.
Showing the jitters, Gauff ballooned a forehand then hit her fourth double fault to go down love-30. A slider serve and topspin backhand pass that handcuffed Jabeur’s volley bid brought Gauff back to 30-all.
Gauff attacked, but Jabeur ripped a forehand pass down the line to earn break point.
Pushing a forehand return long, Jabeur made like a soccer striker and headed the tennis ball back in frustration.
The forehand return failed Jabeur under pressure as she netted one handing Gauff a second match point. Jabeur’s instinct for the dropper was still alive and her execution was perfect as she sifted a drop shot winner.
Yet again Gauff slid the wide serve to the forehand and again Jabeur netted her blocked return.
On her third set point, Gauff somehow reflexed back a smash and Jabeur badly bungled a second smash wide as Gauff sealed a spot in her third straight major semifinal.