American third seed Coco Gauff reached the semi-finals of the French Open after recovering to beat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in an enthralling match.
Gauff, 20, showed her maturity and mentality by winning 4-6 6-2 6-3 at Roland Garros on Tuesday.
After an excellent opening set from eighth seed Jabeur, Gauff continued to believe in her game and took advantage of her opponent’s drop in level.
Gauff was unable to convert a match point on Jabeur’s serve at 5-2 in the decider, surviving a break point at 5-3 before crossing the line when her opponent dumped an overhead long.
A passionate roar as the US Open champion celebrated in the middle of the court signaled the magnitude of the test she had passed.
“She’s a tough opponent,” said Gauff, who saw Jabeur save a second match point before missing on the third.
“I tried to be more aggressive, she played really well and hit a lot of winners – which I’m not used to.
“I tried to be aggressive and got a little tight, but I did what I had to do.”
Gauff, who finished second in 2022, is aiming for her second major title after claiming the title in New York last year.
She will face Polish top seed Iga Swiatek, who defeated her in the final two years ago, or Czech fifth seed Marketa Vondrousova in the last four.
More to follow.
