That’s it from us for today, though, many thanks for your company. We’ll be back for those semi-finals tomorrow – and we’ll have a report on the site on Sinner’s win and Zverev v Djokovic. A demain!
Still no order of play for tomorrow’s women’s semi-finals, with Lois Boisson, the story of the tournament, taking on Gauff, and Swiatek and Sabalenka facing off in part XIII. I guess organisers are debating whether they’d rather have a guaranteed full crowd for Boisson if they put her on first, which would be at 3pm Paris time/2pm UK, or whether they’d rather have her in a potentially more TV-friendly early evening slot.
If you want to catch up on today:
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Breaking down Sinner’s run: round one vs Rinderknech conceded 12 games, round two vs Gasquet seven games, round three vs Lehecka three games, round four vs Rublev eight games, quarter-final vs Bublik six games. It’s staggering when you consider he didn’t even play tennis for three months up until a few weeks ago.
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With Sinner in this form – he’s on a 19-match winning streak in grand slams, it’s like early Roger Federer, before Rafa rocked the boat – I think he’ll have too much for Zverev or Djokovic. But Alcaraz, most likely, in the final is too tough to call. Sinner blazed a path to the Italian Open final last month, his first event back from his ban, before running into Alcaraz, who beat him in straight sets.
“He can have some ups and downs,” says Sinner, making something of an understatement. “So I tried to stay very consistent, which I’ve done. It was a good performance from my side, as things were very windy and breezy. I’m very happy. Against these types of players you have to be very consistent. I’ll maybe watch a bit [of the quarter-final later], but I’ll try to switch off too. It’s going to be a great match [the semi-final], hopefully I’ll be ready. The fans want a high-quality match, we’ll try to make it happen.”
Way too good 👊#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/VteL8EU4Mi
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
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Sinner defeats Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0
15-0, 30-0 and – you know the drill – 40-0 and game, set and match with another seemingly effortless winner. Bublik is grinning; he’s had fun despite the defeat and third-set rout. For Sinner, it’s a second consecutive French Open semi-final, where he’ll face either Alexander Zverev or Novak Djokovic, who play this evening.
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Sinner breaks: Sinner* 6-1, 7-5, 5-0 Bublik (*denotes next server)
It’s been entertaining, and he’ll always have those wins over Jack Draper and Alex De Minaur, but Bublik’s run in Paris is about to end, as Sinner, from 40-30 down on Bublik’s serve, skips through the next three points with his usual efficiency. The world No 1 will serve for a place in the semi-finals. And Bublik almost congratulates Sinner at the changeover; he’s already accepted his fate.
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Third set: Sinner 6-1, 7-5, 4-0 Bublik* (*denotes next server)
It’s remarkable given how little tennis Sinner had under his belt coming into Roland Garros, after that three-month doping ban, how at ease he’s been this fortnight. Close out this set and it’ll be a fifth consecutive win in straight sets. From 40-15, Sinner does the business with an easy putaway at the net, and Bublik needs a miracle, or at least to summon several of his trademark jaw-dropping winners, to inconvenience the Italian winning machine for much longer.
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Sinner breaks: Sinner* 6-1, 7-5, 3-0 Bublik (*denotes next server)
0-15, 0-30, 0-40, as Bublik misdirects a backhand volley. Bublik is shaking his head; the crowd are almost silent. But Bublik does better at the net on the next point, putting away a winner. And from 0-40, he gets back to deuce! A lovely pick-up from Bublik at the net … Sinner lobs … but it’s long! Bublik has a game point, which may do little more at this stage than prevent a third-set whitewash, but he doesn’t capitalise. Deuce. Advantage Sinner. Deuce. Advantage Bublik. Deuce. Advantage Bublik. He allows himself a little smile, while also wincing at the pain Sinner is putting him through. Deuce. Advantage Sinner. Game set and match Sinner after yet more clean, consistent and clinical ball striking.
Third set: Sinner 6-1, 7-5, 2-0 Bublik* (*denotes next server)
Bublik said he hated the sport “with all my heart” back in 2020. The enigmatic Kazakh is Kyrgios-like when it comes to his wavering focus, combustible temperament and his natural but unfulfilled talent. He’s gesticulating at 40-15; he really can’t catch a break at the moment. And Sinner swiftly holds.
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Sinner breaks: Sinner* 6-1, 7-5, 1-0 Bublik (*denotes next server)
Alas, as so often happens in tennis, Bublik, having pushed so hard in that second set, quickly surrenders at the start of the next. Sinner surges to 15-40, two break points. And that’s the break, when Bublik can’t dig a volley out from his feet.
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Thanks Daniel. It’s hard to see a way back for Bublik from here, as hard as seeing a French wildcard ranked 361 in the world on their grand slam debut making … er wait … OK, it’s not impossible, but highly implausible. Bublik could probably do with a restorative mid-match Hangover-style trip to Vegas, which is what he did to reignite his career when he felt like jacking it all in during the spring, but instead he’ll have to make do with a quick drink and rub of his towel.
*Sinner 6-1 7-5 Bublik As we said earlier, it’s close until it isn’t; offer someone like Sinner a finger, he’ll take your whole hand. He serves out to love and it’s a long way back for Bublik from here. As for me, I’m off to see Tina Knowles; here’s Katy to croon you through the rest of this match,
Sinner 6-1 6-5 Bublik* A terrific backhand return, on the stretch, gives Sinner 0-15, then another sets up a forehand winner down the line for 15-30. I fear I can see where this is going and, shonuff, he gets low to carve a forehand winner that raises two break points. Bublik, though, has put so much into this set and he’s not keen that it be for nothing, a fine point ended with two massive forehands to the corner. And I hate to say it, but you can probably guess what happens next: a double fault that hands over the break and that’s the difference between good players and the best. Sinner will now serve for a two-set lead.
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*Sinner 6-1 5-5 Bublik Serving to stay in the set, Sinner finds himself passed by a backhand winner, lazily annihilated cross-court; a netted return restores parity. And from there, the game disappears, Sinner making 5-5, but this is an even contest and if Bublik could nab the set, we’d really be talking.
Sinner 6-1 4-5 Bublik* Bublik has lovely hands, another cunning drop making 30-0 and an ace behind it raising three game points. And, though Sinner makes 15, a further ace secures the hold, and this is getting interesting.
*Sinner 6-1 4-4 Bublik OK, Bublik makes 15-30 … then goes long on the return before being wrong-footed by a forehand. The Kazakh, though, fancies the task, a disguised drop bringing us to deuce … so Sinner closes out in short order. He’s not playing as well, though, and Bublik is serving better while making more of an impression on the return.
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Sinner 6-1 3-4 Bublik* At 30-all, Bublik marches in only to put an inside-out forehand just wide … then lets go a decent drop, cleaning up at the net for deuce. From there, though, he coaxes a gorgeous forehand winner down the line for advantage before opening the court, hitting towards – but not to – the corner, allowing the putaway for a conclusive hold. It’s hard to see him breaking, but in a breaker his serve and one-shot kill power would make him a live dog.
*Sinner 6-1 3-3 Bublik Er, no. His only hope really is to do what Wawrinka did in winning his three major finals against Djokovic and Nadal, just going for everything. He’s not going to outlast Sinner from the back, but he does have big shots and a fine eye; the world no 1 holds easily once more.
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Sinner 6-1 2-3 Bublik* Up 40-0, Bublik tosses in a well-timed double, then redeems it with an ace. This is much more enjoyable now, the Kazakh, in his first grand slam quarter, playing like he belongs. But can he get something going on the Sinner serve?
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*Sinner 6-1 2-2 Bublik On Lenglen,Sander Arends and Luke Johnson have levelled at a set apiece in their men’s doubles quarter against Huge Nys and Edouard Roger-Vasselin; I note this because Luke is, like Henry Patten – the Wimbledon and Aussie Open champ – coached by Calvin Betton, our resident expert. Sinner holds to 15, and he’s so solid he should have his own MC pseudonym.
Sinner 6-1 1-2 Bublik* At 15-all Bublik strays long but having opened the channel for the pass down the line, Sinner nets and we move to 30s. From there, a service-winner down the T underlines the underdog’s improvement … then a double reminds us of his nature. No matter, he holds again, and this is now a contest (until it isn’t).
*Sinner 6-1 1-1 Bublik Bublik is, I guess, an example of just how much the very best sportsfolk are defined by their mentality. It’s easy for the likes of us to say if we were blessed with talent, we’d give everything while staying calm under pressure, but actually doing that is almost impossible. Sinner holds easily and the match might just have settled into a pattern.
Sinner 6-1 1-0 Bublik* Bublik might just’ve settled. He holds to 15 and, in comms, Mac – told his coach is behind his decision to put effort in – chuckles at the apparently revelatory nature of this advice. At 27, he’s still got time to explore its full extent.
*Sinner 6-1 Bublik Is Bublik growing into it? more so than his neck-beard, I guess and, as I type, Sinner overhits a forehand at 30-all; the comeback is on. And soon, the world no 1 is break point down, a big serve averting immediate danger, likewise one to the body. Then, when up advantage himself, he’s passed by Bublik’s backhand … but closes out thereafter. Sinner leads by a set and it’s impossible to even conceive of a way in which he loses this.
Sinner 5-1 Bublik* Sinner makes 0-30 and Bublik, your streaky and occasional wonder-shot feel-merchant just cant cope ; understandably so. he’s good enough to beat almost everyone when playing well, but the best are impervious to purple patches from his ilk. Still, a big serve digs him out of a set point at 30-40, then on advantage, Sinner overhits a putaway, and Bublik salutes the crowd upon winning his first game. The world no 1 will have to serve for the first set.
*Sinner 5-0 Bublik Better from Bublik, who stops in a long rally, playing four or five superb shots to win one point when he guess correctly and blocks back a pick-up into space; 015. From there, we wind up at deuce and this is better from the underdog – for all the good it does him. A service winner, an ace, and that’s 5-0. The problem Bublik – and everyone else – has is that Sinner and Alcaraz ares streets ahead and going away. Only Jack Draper is improving in any kind of meaningful way and he’s still a way off, especially on the red stuff.
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Sinner 4-0 Bublik* At 15-30, Bublik telegraphs a drop, it sits up, and Sinner lanks in to stick it away. He’s so comfy out there, and though i’m not sure his best level is the best around, his modal level is stratospheric and he quickly swats a backhand pass down the line for the double break. This could be over very quickly.
Greetings all. My internet decided to forsake me, but we’re back now and Sinner is already a break to the good at 3-0.
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The crowd really did blow the roof off. It’s open as Jannik Sinner and Alexander Bublik take to the court. Daniel is back to take you through this – though I’ll be back for some more later …
Stat attack. Boisson had won just one match on the WTA Tour before this tournament. Her ranking will jump from 361 to around 65 after this win. She’s gone from a wildcard to a French No 1 in less than a fortnight. And she’s into the semi-finals after beating three seeds, including two in the top 10.
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Next up for Boisson: Coco Gauff. If Gauff is as error-strewn as she was today against Keys, Boisson really has a chance of taking one of the craziest stories in tennis history all the way to Saturday’s final. Yes, Andreeva fell apart in the eye of a Parisian storm, but the way Boisson was able to hold her nerve, and do what so many French players have struggled to do in front of a demanding home crowd, suggests she will be very much up for the challenge of facing the world No 2. I don’t think Gauff will let the crowd get to her in the way Andreeva did though.
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Boisson, with a look a total disbelief, speaks:
It was amazing to feel supported like this. There are no words to describe that feeling. Whatever the situation for me last year, it’s unbelievable to come from there. Thanks to all my team. I was so tense, I fought hard, the first set was very intense and at the beginning of the second set I was very tired. But I was able to recover.
She then talks about how she’ll recover for tomorrow’s semi-final, and talks of having six physios. Six?! Maybe a money-spinning Dove collab is happening.
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Boisson beats Andreeva 7-6, 6-3
Andreeva appears as if she wants to be put out of her misery. 0-15. 0-30. 0-40. Points that Andreeva lost more than Boisson won. 15,000 fans in Chatrier are once again losing their minds. And they’re blowing the roof off when Boisson’s strong strike draws the error! Boisson is on her back on the clay; she can’t believe it. The French world No 361 wildcard is improbably into the semi-finals, having never even played a grand slam before!
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Second set: Andreeva* 6-7, 3-5 Boisson (*denotes next server)
Andreeva is usually able to problem solve so well on court, thinking on her feet, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, coming up with plan A, B, C, D and even E if needed. But having to fight against 15,000 French fans, she can’t think straight. The magnitude of the moment, however, is starting to affect Boisson. She's shaking at 15-30, even more so at 30-40 … a long rally plays out, Boisson suddenly ups the ante with an injection of pace and Andreeva nets! A second break point for Andreeva at her advantage. Boisson holds her nerve once more. And Boisson backs up the break with her fifth straight game when Andreeva’s meek drop shot is nowhere near to clearing the net!
Boisson breaks: Andreeva 6-7, 3-4 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Andreeva’s mind is gone when she whacks a ball into row Z after falling 0-30 down. The teenager receives a code violation. She’s then dicing with death with a couple of shots that just graze the line, but no, Boisson stops the point, the umpire checks the mark, and the ball was out! Andreeva’s arguing, but it’s in vain. 0-40. Which in Andreeva’s current state of mind may as well be match points. Boisson breaks on the second! Her latest French revolution is almost complete! If she can hold her nerve …
Second set: Andreeva* 6-7, 3-3 Boisson (*denotes next server)
With Boisson serving at 30-15, Martinez is absolutely screaming at Andreeva to “TAKE THE BALL EARLY”. Andreeva isn’t too impressed, and appears to ask her to leave. Martinez doesn’t listen and is still barking instructions to her charge when the game goes to deuce. It does the trick, though, because here’s a break point! Boisson saves it with a sliding serve out wide. Boisson puffs out her cheeks; she perhaps looks a little tired. But still calm, unlike Andreeva, who can’t believe it when Boisson takes the next two points to hold!
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Boisson breaks: Andreeva 6-7, 3-2 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Andreeva is furious with herself, slapping her thighs, as Boisson holds to 30. She doesn’t look as if she’s shaken off that frustration, when she opens up her service game with an eighth double fault. The umpire pleads with the partisan Parisians to be quiet during Andreeva’s service action. But Andreeva is still shaky, and her feet aren’t quite moving quickly enough, as she drops 15-40 behind. The first break point is saved, but Boisson blasts a backhand winner down the line on the second! This jerking drama has another sudden twist!
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Second set: Andreeva 6-7, 3-0 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Boisson taking that first set means the wildcard has remarkably won three consecutive sets against top-six players on her grand slam debut. Her ranking of 361 is slightly misleading, though, given she had an extended period out with an ACL injury, which she suffered just before Roland Garros last year; she couldn’t even face watching the tournament from home, so upset she was at not being able to take the wildcard she’d been offered. Wonder what she’d have said back then if someone had told her she’d be where she is now. But she looks as if she believes she belongs out there, pushing Andreeva to deuce, but the Russian shakes her off on the next two points to hold. Andreeva is in the ascendancy.
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Andreeva breaks: Andreeva* 6-7, 2-0 Boisson (*denotes next server)
A wonderful game of cat and mouse at 30-all on Boisson’s serve, and Andreeva pings a winning lob. 30-40, break point. Andreeva sorely needs this. And she gets it with a deep strike to Boisson’s backhand, which isn’t coming back into play. After all the tension and tumult of that first-set finale, the atmosphere has calmed and Andreeva is working her way back into this.
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Second set: Andreeva 6-7, 1-0 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
This is a wonderful, improbable story for Boisson – who knows it could be turning into a Raducanu at the 2021 US Open one – but I do feel for the 18-year-old Andreeva right now, fighting against the crowd. Her seventh double fault hands Boisson a break point in the opening game of the second set. And so many of her doubles have come at crucial moments. She does, at least, find the strength to resist the double fault before taking the next two points for a much-needed hold.
Boisson wins the first-set tie-break 8-6
… and Andreeva can probably barely hear the encouragement of her coach Conchita Martinez to “keep going” over the screams of the crowd. Now it’s Boisson with set point at 7-6 … and Andreeva hoiks wide! Sacre bleu! Boisson has the first set, having been 5-3 and set point down. The Parisian patrons are chanting “LOIS, LOIS, LOIS, LOIS, LOIS, LOIS”. I’m surprised they can breathe.
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… make that 4-3, and a ripper of an inside-out forehand gets her to 5-3! She’s hit 15 winners off that wing already. But Andreeva wrests back the mini-break and takes the two points on her serve, and suddenly it’s the Russian with a set point at 6-5 … about 30 minutes after her first. Boisson is serving .. and Andreeva prods out! It’s 6-6 as they again change ends …
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So, the first set, after 70 minutes, will be decided by a tie-break, which is the very least it deserves. The early points go on serve, with Boisson edging ahead 3-2, and then Andreeva coughs up another double! She’s complaining to the umpire at the changeover; I think she’s struggling with the crowd noise. It’s easy to forget she’s still only 18; this can’t be easy for her. Boisson leads 4-2 …
First set: Andreeva 6-6 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
… Boisson, all muscle and hustle, is bouncing on the baseline, waiting to receive … and Andreeva double faults! A second set point… again, it’s saved. But here’s another Andreeva double! A third set point … and this goes the same way as the two others. It’s rare to see Andreeva looking so frayed. She moves to advantage after 11 minutes on the game clock, but flaps at the short ball. A sixth deuce. A fifth advantage to Andreeva. Time has turned into a flat circle. But Andreeva. Finally. Holds.
The crowd are in raptures when Boisson nails a couple of winners for 0-30. Boisson looks remarkably calm. A punchy putaway from Andreeva and an errant shot from Boisson make it 30-all. Andreeva hits a slightly weak drive volley but gets a second chance at it, and doesn’t err this time. 40-30. But Andreeva’s shot slides into the net! And Andreeva then makes a total mess of a volley! Now it’s Boisson with a set point. Which Andreeva repels …
First set: Andreeva* 5-6 Boisson (*denotes next server)
Boisson bosses the game to hold to 15. She’s ahead for the first time since the opening game. That set point for Andreeva feels as if it was hours ago. And, having taken out the world No 3 Jessica Pegula in the previous round, the world No 361 is just a game away from nicking the opening set against the world No 6!
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Boisson breaks: Andreeva 5-5 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
This time the set is on Andreeva’s racket, and she starts well with a wonderfully disguised drop shot. But she then blinks, batters into the net, and somehow it’s two break-back points! Andreeva misses her first serve … just about lands a wobbly second … but then nets another fallible forehand! From Andreeva having a set point in the previous game, they’re somehow back on serve.
First set: Andreeva* 5-4 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
So Boisson is serving to stay in the first set. She looks in disbelief as Andreeva clips the outside edge of the line. Dangerous times at 15-30 … will Andreeva get a set point? No, because Boisson nervelessly dispatches the smash. But a wild, impatient backhand allows Andreeva to get to deuce. Boisson is the aggressor on the next point … but Andreeva soaks it all up and pulls off the pass! Set point Andreeva. Which Boisson saves with a backhand winner! And two more big hits give Boisson the game!
Andreeva hitting all of her passing shots 🚀 pic.twitter.com/hZ2y6RnRz5
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
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First set: Andreeva 5-3 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Andreeva appears totally comfortable here, at 30-0 and 40-15, but a double fault and winning volley from Boisson halt her progress. Deuce. But Andreeva’s understanding of how to construct points and work the angles is so impressive and she pushes and pulls Boisson all over the court before threading a backhand winner down the line. Advantage Andreeva, game Andreeva, with another winner in almost exactly the same spot. Her coach Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, looks on approvingly.
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Andreeva breaks: Andreeva* 4-3 Boisson (*denotes next server)
Andreeva is much more solid here, working her way to 30-40. Andreeva gets a chance on a second serve … and punishes Boisson’s tepid effort with a backhand winner down the line! Andreeva has the break once more.
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Boisson breaks: Andreeva 3-3 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Boisson cuts Andreeva up with a backhand slice for 0-30. Andreeva then batters a backhand into the tramlines for 15-40, two break-back points. The umpire is pelading with the crowd to be quiet as Andreeva attempts to serve … they just about oblige … but are cheering and chanting when Andreeva makes another unforced error! The closed roof is magnifying the noise. That was a very loose game from the Russian.
First set: Andreeva* 3-2 Boisson (*denotes next server)
Andreeva’s backhand winner on the return for 30-all deserves applause, but it’s met with stony silence by the French crowd. They’re cheering, though, when Boisson brings up 40-30. And sighing when Boisson’s forehand smacks into the net. Her forehand hasn’t quite got going yet; she’s rushing it a bit. But she is patient on the net point, drop shotting, lobbing, moving Andreeva around, but the Andreeva adeptly turns defence into attack. Advantage Andreeva, a point for a double break. But Boisson displays superb French resistance to save it and then hold, as she wallops away a forehand. That’ll have shaken off a few nerves.
First set: Andreeva 3-1 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Before this fortnight Boisson was best known outside of France as being the poor player that Britain’s Harriet Dart wanted to put on some deodorant during a match in April because she “smells really bad”. Boisson took the media reaction in her stride – as she has all the attention during this tournament – but playing in a grand slam quarter-final is another matter entirely. Boisson is given time to settle in this game as Andreeva serves up two double faults, but at deuce Andreeva aims right on the line with a forehand winner after a 23-shot rally! Andreeva goes on to back up the break.
Mirra off to a solid start 💥#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/VbarHctXYk
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 4, 2025
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Andreeva breaks: Andreeva* 2-1 Boisson (*denotes next server)
A hint of danger for Boisson at 15-30, and she shows deft touch to dink over a drop shot winner. 30-all. But she then strides forward to the short ball, with the court at her mercy, and hits into the net! Cue a collective gasp. 30-40, a first break point, but Andreeva can’t land her backhand return. Andreeva soon has another break point, and Boisson, on the run, crushes a forehand into the net. That was edgy.
First set: Andreeva 1-1 Boisson* (*denotes next server)
Other than Boisson’s forehand, she has a good sliced backhand, a pretty big first serve and a kicking second serve, with her game probably best suited to clay. Andreeva thrives on the red dirt, too, having reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros last year, but the teenager has won titles on the hard courts of Indian Wells and Dubai this season, becoming the youngest player to win WTA 1000 titles in the process. Andreeva replies to Boisson’s confident hold with an assured one of her own, holding to 30.
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First set: Andreeva* 0-1 Boisson (*denotes next server)
Apparently Boisson was practising with Jannik Sinner this morning to get her eye in for this quarter-final, and the 22-year-old is looking sharp from the off, moving to 30-0 with little fuss. Andreeva’s forehand return skids just wide and it’s 40-0. Boisson makes her first error as she goes long with her forehand, which is the biggest weapon in her game. Andreeva will want to neutralise that that. But it doesn’t matter; another unreturned serve and it’s jeu Boisson.
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So this match pits a Russian prodigy channelling the spirit of Martina Hingis against a French overnight success who’s repeated the feat of Mary Pierce by reaching the last eight at Roland Garros as a wildcard.
There’s so much about Andreeva that reminds me of Hingis – the precocious talent, the high tennis IQ, the variety – and the 18-year-old is also the youngest player since Hingis in 1998 to reach back-to-back Roland Garros quarter-finals.
But Boisson is breaking records of her own, with the world No 361’s most unlikely home run on her grand slam debut making her not only the first wildcard to reach the last eight since Pierce in 2002, but the lowest-ranked player to get this far in 40 years.
Here the players come, Boisson getting the bigger cheer, quelle surprise. It’s a bit discombobulating turning on a day match and feeling as if it’s night. It’s still gloomy and drizzly in Paris, so the roof remains on. Andreeva seems to think it’s the evening too, as she’s wearing a long, pleated burgundy skirt over her tennis outfit. She soon takes it off and the pair are warming up.
Thanks Daniel. Well that was tense, tense, tense. It was as if they had clay in their shoes and lead in their rackets until Gauff pulled away with it at the end. But even though the level was so patchy it was still strangely compelling – and it was good to see one of the women’s quarter-finals go to three sets. Hopefully Andreeva and Boisson can go the distance too.
Anyroad up, that’s me done for the now. I’ll be back in a bit, but here’s Katy to chill with you through Mirra Andreeva (6) v Lois Boisson. À bientôt!
You’ve got to hand it to Gauff, who played her best stuff in the decider. Perhaps the prospect and experience of facing Keys, someone she knows really well, had her second-guessing herself a bit, but the third set was much more like it and those are the vibes she’ll take into tomorrow.
At 4-1, Gauff says Keys was playing well, hitting it hard and low, so she just had to fight. She acknowledges her opponent has perhaps the best forehand in the game, so she’d have to run and as soon as she got a short ball, punish it.
Her last match was played in warmer conditions, so she reduced tension in her racket strings for this match, changed it at 1-4 and went 5-4, though she doesn’t know if that made the difference. She thought with the roof closed the court would play slower which it did in some moments, but it also played quicker, which was perhaps because of her opponent’s power.
Otherwise, she’s delighted to be in the semi; she’ll enjoy the feeling today, then come back firing tomorrow.
Keys will be so disappointed with how she played today. Her biggest weapon, her forehand, was her biggest enemy, and she just couldn’t get herself going. But here’s Coco, leather jacked donned!
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Coco Gauff (2) beats Madison Keys 7-6(6) 6-4 6-1
*Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 1-6 Gauff Serving to stay in the match, Keys errs twice for 0-30, but this time she’s prompted to by the improved consistency of Gauff’s hitting. And have a look! A squash shot, zoned down the line, raises three match points, and one final forehand, butchered long, sends Gauff into the last four, where she’ll meet Boisson or Andreeva. She’ll need to play a lot better in that one.
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Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 1-5 Gauff* Gauff opens the game with a nervous double – merely fair serving and this match would already be over – but it looks like momentum is unassailable hers and she soon leads 30-15. Keys, though, steps into a pair of forehands, the second a clean winner, and the feeling persists that if she hit a streak, her bigger game would take her to victory. That doesn’t, though, look at all likely, Gauff responding with a drop followed by a body-serve that Keys can’t return. Champion that she is, she’s found her best form in the clutch; so far this set, she’s made just two unforced errors, one of those a double, and she’s a game away.
*Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 1-4 Gauff Keys’ easy power is a joke, a buggy-whip forehand making 15-all, then a big serve and backhand clean-up nudging her in front. But another unforced error levels the game, a fantastic backhand winner raises a point for the double break … then Keys remembers who she is, a pair of booming backhands taking us to deuce. Gauff, though, knows she’s playing the better, lands a huge forehand return on to the line, then steps in and gets on top of one, above shoulder-height, dispensing a terrific winner, and when a backhand, potentially framed, catches the sideline and dies – Gauff raises a hand in mortification – the no 2 seed has the double break. She’s two games away.
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Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 1-3 Gauff* Gauff might just’ve settled in time. She holds to love, playing her game, and if that continues, Keys will need to improve significantly if she’s to win.
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*Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 1-2 Gauff Now a love hold for Keys, and that’ll fortify her with at least a soupçon of confidence as she seeks a break back. The standard so far in this set has been a little better than what’s come before it.
Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 0-2 Gauff* This is the Keys that used to be, capable of the very best and very worst, often in the same point. Gauff consolidates to love, and has she made the definitive move?
*Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 0-1 Gauff Keys does brilliantly to stick in the longest rally of the match, retrieving an overhead before lasering a backhand winner down the line. But when she goes again next point, she misses by a fraction, then sends down a double … partially redeemed by two big groundstrokes that make 30-all. Again, though, Keys can’t string quality points together, a winner then an error taking us to deuce, whereupon similar happens and round we go again. This time, though, Keys nets a backhand, then a corner-to-corner forehand is fractionally wide, her 50th unforced error of the match, and Gauff leads by a break in the decider!
“‘If either player delivered delivered this level against Swiatek or Sabalenka, they’d get absolutely tumped’,” says Harry Spencer, quoting me back to myself. “Forget about Swiatek or Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva will obliterate either of these players at this standard.”
I can’t argue with that.
Coco Gauff wins the second set to setup a decider
Keys 7-6(6) 4-6 Gauff* A backhand error hands Gauff 0-15 but a fine forehand return levels the game and we’re soon as 30-all. From there, though, Keys wafts a backhand long to raise set point, then swats a backhand into the net, and we’re level at a set apiece! I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen next and i doubt the players do either.
*Keys 7-6(6) 4-5 Gauff Keys looks to have earned 15-0 but Gauff smokes a backhand winner cross; that’s the best shot she’s played so far. At 0-30, though, Keys again unleashes, big forehands halving the deficit, before another error means she’s down two break-points. Before the game, her coach and husband told her not to offer width when serving into the deuce court and she listens to the advice to save the first, but Gauff then digs out a terrific forehand to the corner, and will shortly save for a dismal second set.
Keys 7-6(6) 4-4 Gauff* Gauff’s first serve of the game is way long and a tame second delivery allows a monstered return and overhead; 0-15. I can’t remember the last time I saw two players of such rare talent play so poorly at the same time; Chrissy is shocked, and she’s seen a bit. Gosh and, as I type, Keys makes 15-40 then slams a forehand into the net, her go-to shot losing her as much as it’s winning. But two more bigguns convert the second break point and we’re back on serve at 4-4 in the second! Has Keys hit a bit of form just in time to close out?
*Keys 7-6(6) 3-4 Gauff It’s no surprise our players started nervously, but it is unusual that the same feeling still suffuses proceedings. We learn that 26% of Keys’ forehands are unforced errors and Chrissy notes she doesn’t really have a B-game, then another mistake from Gauff prompts her to lament “so many unforced errors”. Keys holds to 15 and pressure on the world no 2 ratchets up another level.
Keys 7-6(6) 2-4 Gauff* I nip to resolve a quick intestinal situation, return to see Keys has 15-40, and though Gauff wins the next point, yet another double – her ninth so far – returns one of her two breaks.
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*Keys 7-6(6) 1-4 Gauff Tell you what, if either player delivered delivered this level against Swiatek or Sabalenka, they’d get absolutely tumped. Keys just can’t find winners often enough, given how regularly she goes for them, the unforced error count piling up, and when, at 15-40, she serves into the slot, a lusty forehand swing down the line secures the double break. Gauff is in total control of the set.
Keys 7-6(6) 1-3 Gauff* Keys has dropped, but at 40-15 a decent return sets up the point and gives her a chance, then another on to the tootsies takes us to deuce. Gauff, though, usually a fine mover, didn’t get herself out of the way, and it might cost her because a gorgeous cross-court forehand return, almost a table tennis shot, means she’s down advantage. Two quick errors, from Keys, though, and suddenly it’s game point, a return whizzing long to secure the consolidation. This isn’t getting less tense.
*Keys 7-6(6) 1-2 Gauff Nice from Gauff, sending Keys out wide before hitting into the space for 15-30, and a forehand into the net quickly hands her two break points. And this time, Keys doesn’t find a first serve, but Gauff still returns into the net – “hard to watch,” laments Chrissy – then another Keys error means the world no 2 is up a break. Can she consolidate?
Keys 7-6(6) 1-1 Gauff* At 15-all, Gauff slices an ace out wide and Keys then goes long, but again, the errors are never far away and we wind up at deuce. Gauff, though, gets lucky, when two poor serves are returned into the net, and we’re level in set two. Can either player find any consistency?
*Keys 7-6(6) 1-0 Gauff The best sportsfolk have the memory of a goldfish, able to forget their worst errors and focus on whatever’s next; Gauff will need to do that, because it was her three double faults that settled the first set. And very quickly, she makes 15-40; keys saves the first break point with a classic one-two punch, first serve out wide, forehand walloped into the opposite corner. A big serve then sets up the next rally, again finished with +1 forehand, but Gauff makes advantage … again confiscated via forehand winner. Gauff, though, has her own forehand going and uses it to raise a fourth break point … this time removed via big first serve, Keys continuing to find them when she really needs them. But have a look! Up advantage and at the net, she hits wide with the whole court open … then secures the hold with two quick points. Both players are hitting some great shots and some total donkeys.
Madison Keys wins the first set 7-6(6)
Keys 7-6(6) Gauff Keys finds another first serve, Gauff’s return is wide, and a set no one deserved to win goes to the Aussie Open champ. This match isn’t of the standard we’d hoped, but it’s still impossible to look away.
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Keys 6-6 Gauff (7-6) Gauff doesn’t let her or us find out, a gorgeous drop restoring parity … but after a fault, no one can be surprised when the second serve goes into the net. That’s a third double of the breaker, and you could see her collapse under the toss, sending the ball low into the net.
Keys 6-6 Gauff (6-5) Keys’ forehand is losing her as many points as it’s winning; when she’s nervous she tends to go bigger and Gauff is constantly asking the question. And goodness me, how many she’s forced to play to make 5-5! But she gets there in the end, then dominates the next rally for 6-5, and will now receive set-point to the good. Has she rediscovered her range just in time?
Keys 6-6 Gauff (4-4) Gauff again keeps the ball in play long enough to elicit the error and this time it means she takes the mini-break; the longer the rally, the more likely she is to win it. But at 4-3, her second double of the breaker takes us back level, neither player able to hit well enough for long enough to take control.
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Keys 6-6 Gauff (2-3) Immediate mini-break to Keys via colossal double, but Gauff defends really well in the next point, hanging in it long enough to see an attempted winner hit the net. A poor drop then invites Gauff to the net, but Keys threads a devastating forehand through a tiny hole between player and sideline and we’re at 2-1; two holds and the world no 2 leads, on serve.
*Keys 6-6 Gauff Keys is finding first serves when she needs them most, making 15-0 only to thwack a forehand cross just wide. And when she then nets a backhand, Gauff is two points away from the set … but a forehand down and on to the line makes 30-all. These are high tariff, low percentage shots from Keys, who reaches game point then switches the momentum of the next rally with a forehand so good it elicits an involuntary gasp from Naomi Cavaday. To the breaker we go!
Keys 5-6 Gauff* A love hold! I think that’s the first of the set, and Keys will now serve to stay in it. I’ve not a clue what’s going to happen next, but my sense is both players will try and let go of their biggest shots. Gauff might try to hang in pints waiting for errors, but so far she’s looked most convincing when playing positively.
*Keys 5-5 Gauff It’d be wrong to say Gauff’s improvement has precipitated Keys’ deterioration – if anything, it’s the other way around. In comms, Chrissy – the player least pervious to nerves in the game’s history – blames them, and she should know. But I also wonder if a little bit of complacency is to blame: at 4-1 40-15, perhaps she felt the set was hers. Either way, we wind up at deuce, Gauff sends a forehand down the line, and Keys nets on the backhand to cede set point; she badly needs a first serve, finds a high-kicker to the backhand, then opens her body to rude a big bounce and punish an inside-out forehand winner, cross-court. Another first serve then helps make advantage, and from there, another fine point secures the hold; what a funny set this is, Keys rediscovering herself when under the most pressure
Keys 4-5 Gauff* Up 30-0, Gauff sends down a double to keep things close. But Keys, having hit a terrific approach on to the baseline, then nets her clean-up, and a succession of forehands secure the hold. Gauff is far more confident now, playing her natural game rather than one tailored to her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses; she secures her hold and Keys will shortly serve to stay in a set she ought already to have won. The way she’s playing, you fear for her.
*Keys 4-4 Gauff And Keys is feeling it, opening the game with a tame double, then losing a forehand to forehand rally – Gauff has found her range, taking the ball earlier and hitting a fuller length. Ahahaha, but of course as I type, Keys nails an inside-out winner – “Call that a forehand, this is a forehand” – only to go long with it in the next rally, presenting two break-back points. Gosh, a second double means only one is required, and this is old Maddy back again, turning 4-1 40-15 into 4-4. A killer like Gauff is’t likely to let her away with it.
Keys 4-3 Gauff* Gauff is struggling to keep Keys’ forehand out of things – points are being decided according to whether it hits or misses. And at 30-all, she finds a good return … but Gauff wears it well, taking control of the point and winning it in short order, then a netted forehand secures an important hold. The world no 2 is playing more positively now, looking to be proactive rather than reactive, and there’s pressure on Keys as she prepares to defend her remaining break.
*Keys 4-2 Gauff Gauff’s forehand will always be a weakness but it’s giving her almost nothing today; another error means 15-0, and she’s hitting so many more unforceds than winners that it’s almost impossible for her to win games. Keys, on the other hand, has settled. She believes in her game now, so isn’t discouraged by adversity – though, as I type, a second serve sits up and begs to be punished; Gauff doesn’t miss out, making 40-30, and we’re soon at deuce. If she can prolong the rallies, testing Keys’ patience, she’s got a good chance, and when she makes advantage, she’s offered a second serve to attack. And, though, she can’t unleash a definitive return, Gauff plays a fine point, her forehand finally giving her something, she finishes the game with an overhead, and might Keys regret the three consecutive errors 40-15 into a first break back? We shall see, but even if it’s too late for this set, we can hope that both players are now relaxing into things.
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Keys 4-1 Gauff* Keys is warming up here, moving Gauff laterally to open up space for the winner; 0-15. And when a double follows, then a netted forehand, you fear for the world no 2, who just hasn’t got going yet; shonuff a second double of the game means Keys has the double break and the first set is almost hers.
*Keys 3-1 Gauff Gauff again strides to the net and this time despatches a forehand winner for 0-15; we wind up at 30-all before a miserable forehand into the net hands Keys a point for a consolidation. Naturally, she serves to the forehand, Gauff’s weaker wing, the return is netted and control of the set duly ceded.
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Keys 2-1 Gauff* A double gives Keys 0-15, but another forehand error, this time into the net, restores parity. And though she makes 15-30, two more forehands fall long – in comms, Chrissy reckons she’s not putting enough top-spin on the ball – giving Gauff game-point. Oh, but have a look! Two forehand winners and Keys has advantage, Gauff marches in to slap a backhand into the net, and that’s a third break in three games. The tension is palpable.
Keys 1-0 Gauff* Gauff makes 15-30 then sticks in the next point until the error arrives – that’s what we said at the start about making Keys hit a lot of balls. And looking to force the issue next rally, Keys goes for too much, overhitting an attempted forehand winner to return the break immediately. Neither player has settled yet.
Keys 1-0 Gauff* (*denotes server) It’s a shame and maybe even a scandal that Chatrier is so sparsely populated for so big a match. And its first point tells us plenty about how it might go, a long rally ending when Keys – my pick, if you’re pushing me – hits a forehand into the top of the net. But a forehand winner soon gives her 15-3o, Gauff then goes long to hand over break point, and a further error, a netted forehand, gives Keys an early advantage.
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Righto, we’re good to go; Gauff to serve.
We’ve been talking about psychological axioms but allow me ignore the one that says we should live in the moment: imagine the atmosphere on Chatrier a couple of hours for now, when Boisson and Andreeva come out Oooh yeah!
The roof is closed. That will, I think, help Keys, whose big shots benefit from the certainty of stillness – she can whack it without worrying about wind and so on. Gauff, though, has plenty of her own power, and if she can hide her forehand is favourite.
Preamble
Salut à tout le monde et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2025 – 11ème jour!
And what a start awaits us. Madison Keys is the Australian Open champion – gratuitous, but I’ll never tire of typing that – finally realising the talent it was impossible to deny. Technically speaking, little has changed, but mentally she’s a different person, making peace with the career she’s had in order to grow into the player she now is. Or, put another way, she’s a lesson in the value of psychological axioms: self-worth comes from within, not without; we are defined by what is in our head and our hearts, not according to our professional accomplishments.
But this morning, she faces an opponent able to examine both her game and her equilibrium. Coco Gauff is a grand slam champion in her own right, a phenomenal athlete who’ll ask her to hit a lot of balls – a test as mental as it is technical and facilitated by a damp, cold day. Though it’s easy to plot a path to victory for both players, it’s far harder to decide which of them will be celebrating at the end.
Following them on to court, we’ve Mirra Andreeva, a talent so natural she might’ve been playing in the womb. But Lois Boisson is in ridiculous form, in the process of announcing herself to the tennis world; she absolutely believes and, as Maddy could tell you, that’s a large chunk of the battle.
And finally for the day session, we’ve Jannik Sinner, the best player in the world, against Sascha Bublik, a mercurial maverick who might finally have reconciled his power and hands with what it takes to succeed as a professional. We think we know who’ll win, but then we thought the same when he was two sets down to Alex de Minaur, just as we did before he met Jack Draper in the last round. If he’s got another performance left in him, we’re in for a treat.
On y va!
Play: 11asm local, 10am BST
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