American tennis play Coco Gauff Photo: © Dante Badano / PsnewZ 2025
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open as the American kept her cool in a fiery atmosphere to earn a ruthless 6-1 6-2 victory on Thursday, setting up a blockbuster final with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
Laser-focused, the world number two subdued the French wild card and the home crowd to speed through the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier and reach the Roland Garros final for the second time after she lost to Iga Swiatek in 2022.
Boisson, ranked 361st with only two career matches on the main tour coming into the claycourt major, had downed world number three Jessica Pegula and Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the previous rounds but she looked deflated against Gauff.
The 22-year-old will, however, pocket a career-changing 690,000 euros (NZ$1.3 million) in prize money, while Gauff, 21, will have the chance to secure her second Grand Slam title after winning the 2023 US Open.
Gauff, who can become the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, clearly shifted up a gear after beating compatriot Madison Keys in an error-strewn quarter-final on Wednesday.
Boisson will climb up to 65th in the WTA rankings, which will all but guarantee her direct entry into the main draw at Grand Slams and top-tier events.
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka. Photo: Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse / PHOTOSPORT
Meanwhile, world number one Aryna Sabalenka battled past four-times champion Iga Swiatek which ended the Pole's reign in Paris and snapped her 26-game winning streak in the tournament.
The Belarusian's power proved too much for the defending champion, who was looking to become the first female player in the Open era since 1968 to win four consecutive titles in Paris.
Swiatek had won the previous three editions along with her maiden crown in 2020.
-Reuters
