



PARIS — Coco Gauff reached her second final at Roland-Garros by beating Loïs Boisson 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday to end the surprising, upset-filled run by a French wild-card entry who is ranked No. 361.
The victory by No. 2 Gauff sets up a blockbuster championship match against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.
Sabalenka is a three-time major champion and earned a shot at a fourth by ending Iga Swiatek’s 26-match French Open winning streak. Sabalenka’s 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 win in the semifinals prevents Swiatek from becoming the first woman to win four consecutive championships in Paris.
This will be just the second No. 1 vs. No. 2 women’s final at the French Open in the last 30 years.
It’s also a rematch of the 2023 U.S. Open final, in which Gauff beat Sabalenka to claim her first major trophy at age 19.
Gauff was the runner-up to Swiatek at Roland-Garros in 2022.
Much to the chagrin of the 15,000 or so locals pulling for their countrywoman under a closed roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier on a drizzly day, Gauff vs. Boisson wasn’t much of a contest, as might be expected from their rankings and relative experience.
Then again, that didn’t stop Boisson from eliminating both No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Mirra Andreeva en route to becoming the first woman since 1989 to get to the semifinals in her Grand Slam debut.
Loud as the crowd was, repeatedly singing Boisson’s first name, Gauff’s play spoke volumes, too, as she took 20 of the first 30 points for a 4-0 lead. That pattern held, and by the end, Gauff had claimed 34 of the 51 points that lasted at least five strokes.
Most remarkable about Sabalenka’s win was the way — her back dotted with flecks of the rust-colored clay — she dominated in crunch time, racing through the last set.
“I mean, 6-love,” she said. “What can I say? Couldn’t be more perfect than that.”
Swiatek’s explanation?
“I lost my intensity a bit,” she said. “Just couldn’t push back.”
With no wind or other elements for the players to confront, both produced some terrific tennis for stretches.
But when Sabalenka decided to swing away, she rushed Swiatek into mistakes.