PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 06: Coco Gauff of United States reacts after speaking with the umpire against … [+]
Coco Gauff was moved to tears after a dispute with chair umpire, Aurelie Tourte in her French Open semifinal loss to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek dominated No. 3 Gauff, 6-2, 6-4, to move into Saturday’s final, where she will be a heavy favorite to win her fourth Roland Garros title — and third straight — against No. 12 Jasmine Paolini, who routed Mirra Andreeva of Russia, 6-3, 6-1. Swiatek is 2-0 against Paolini, the first Italian woman into a Slam final since the 2015 U.S. Open where there were two.
Swiatek, who improved to 11-1 against Gauff and 10-0 against her in sets on clay, will take a 20-match winning streak at the French into the final. Swiatek’s lone loss to Gauff came on hardcourts in the Cincinnati semifinals a year ago.
It could make the fourth year in a row that Gauff, the U.S. Open champion, goes out to the eventual champion. A year ago, she lost to Swiatek in the semifinals and 2022 in the final. In 2021, she lost in the quarters to eventual winner, Barbora Krejčíková.
The match took a dramatic turn in the fourth game of the second set when Gauff got into a heated dispute with the chair umpire.
With Swiatek serving at 0-15, her serve was called out, but the umpire overruled the call. Gauff missed the return but told the umpire she hit the ball after the line call was made.
Gauff approached the chair and said, “Are you serious? They are booing you because you are wrong.”
Gauff then began to cry during the game but eventually rebounded to earn the break with a forehand winner for 3-1.
But she was broken right back and led 3-2.
Swiatek then broke Gauff at love with a forehand smash at the net for a 4-2 lead.
Gauff fought off two match points at 3-5, the second with an inside-out forehand winner, and then held serve with a backhand crosscourt winner.
Swiatek then served it out at 5-4, 40-30 when Gauff sailed a forehand wide.
In the first set, Swiatek got out to a double-break lead at 4-1.
Now she will be a heavy favorite to win Roland Garros for a fourth time.