Coco Gauff returns to Roland Garros final, ends Loïs Boisson fairytale

Coco Gauff guaranteed a No. 1 vs No. 2 final at 2025 Roland Garros when the No. 2 seed ended Loïs Boisson’s fairytale run, defeating the French wild card, 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday.

"I'm really excited to be back here in the final," Gauff said in her post-match press conference. "Happy with my performance today. Obviously a lot more work left to do, but yeah, I'm going to savor this one and be ready on Saturday."

The 2022 finalist is into her first Grand Slam final since winning the 2023 US Open, and will face top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match after a one hour and nine-minute victory over Boisson under the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof.

Gauff defeated Sabalenka to win her first major title in Flushing Meadows, and though she has not reached a major final in 18 months, the American has returned to her career-high ranking on the strength of some remarkable results, winning the 2024 WTA Finals and reaching back-to-back finals at the Mutua Madrid Open and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

The 21-year-old lost just one set en route to the semifinals, rallying to defeat Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, and found herself as a heavy favorite in what was unquestionably the biggest match of Boisson’s career.

A year older than Gauff, Boisson considerably trailed her opponent in experience, having never faced a Top 50 opponent before accepting a wild card to this year’s tournament. Boisson was poised to make her Grand Slam debut at this event in 2024, but a torn ACL delayed those dreams by 12 months. She made up for lost time in style this week, scoring Top 10 victories over Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.

With inclement weather causing the Chatrier roof to close, Gauff and Boisson followed Sabalenka’s 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 win over defending champion Iga Swiatek. Like Sabalenka, Gauff enjoyed a quick start against Boisson, winning the first three games and ultimately broke serve four times to claim the opening set.

The youngest French major semifinalist since Amélie Mauresmo in 1999, Boisson looked to make a move as the second set got underway, earning a break point on Gauff’s serve in the third game and breaking back when the American took a 3-1 lead.

As the match ticked past the one-hour mark, Gauff locked back in and earned another break and this time consolidated to put herself a game from the finish line.

Boison, who is projected to rise from No. 361 in the WTA rankings into the Top 70, bravely served to stay in the match, but was unable to find the magic that took her through five victories in Paris and fell behind two match points. Gauff outrallied the wild card to earn one last break and ease into her third Grand Slam final in under 70 minutes.

Gauff moves onto a highly anticipated final against Sabalenka; the winner will not only win their first Roland Garros trophy, but also break their tied head-to-head (currently 5-5).

"Anything can happen on Saturday. But I'm looking forward to it, and glad to be going up against a World No. 1 too," said Gauff.

The pair last played at the Mutua Madrid Open final, where Sabalenka won in straight sets to claim three of their last four matches.