The French Open semifinals on Thursday were a road match for American star Coco Gauff.
No. 2 seed Gauff faced Lois Boisson, a French player who has broken out after becoming the first wild card in the Open Era to reach the semifinals at Roland-Garros. The 21-year-old American knew the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris would be rooting against her, but she used a trick to overcome that.
“When you guys were chanting her name, I was saying to myself my name, just to psych myself out,” Gauff said while giggling in an on-court interview after the match, via the Tennis Channel. “You have to do that.”
The chant worked. Gauff beat Boisson in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the French Open final for the first time since 2022. She will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the world’s No. 1 player, on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET on TNT.
Aside from two double faults, Gauff cruised through most of the match. She hit 12 winners, scored 57 of the match’s 90 points and converted 86 percent of her break points.
After the match, Gauff complimented 22-year-old Boisson for her Cinderella run at the tournament.
“Lois is obviously an incredible player,” Gauff said, via BBC Sport’s live blog. “In this tournament, she has definitely proven she’s one of the best players in the world, especially on clay. I’m sure we will have many battles in the future, hopefully here.”
Perhaps she’s trying to score points with the French fans before her match against Sabalenka. Since beating her at the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff has lost her past four matches to the 27-year-old star.
The crowd backing her in Saturday’s match could help her snap her losing streak against Sabalenka and win her second Grand Slam title.
