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Coco Gauff youngest American in 43 years to achieve French Open feat
World No. 2 Coco Gauff bested No. 8 Madison Keys in a hard-fought three-setter on Wednesday to clinch a berth in the 2025 French Open semifinal.
The All-American quarterfinal began with Gauff committing 11 unforced errors in the first five games, falling to a 4-1 deficit in the first set. Gauff's early struggles were directly related to her lowering her racquet tension in anticipation of slower surface speed, after the Court Philippe-Chatrier roof was closed due to the chilly morning Paris weather.
Gauff made the necessary adjustments and won four straight games to lead 5-4 until Keys saved a set point and ultimately won the ensuing tiebreaker. At that point, it seemed like Keys, on an 11-game winning streak at majors dating back to her Australian Open victory, had the momentum on her side.
In the second set, it was Gauff's turn to take a 4-1 lead, only for Keys to rattle off three straight games to tie things up. Gauff would respond with arguably the shot of the match — an angled backhanded winner — to secure a key break. Thereafter, she seized the momentum, winning eight of the next nine games to close out Keys, 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, and advance to the final four at Roland-Garros.
Gauff, who reached her first French Open semifinal in 2022, is now the youngest American in the Open Era to win 25 matches at the clay-court major, and the youngest overall since Martina Hingis. Furthermore, she's the youngest American to reach back-to-back semifinals at Paris since Andrea Jaeger in 1982.
25 - Coco Gauff (21y 73d) is the youngest American in the Open Era to claim 25+ career Women's Singles match wins at Roland Garros, and the youngest overall Martina Hingis (19 years and 241 days) in 2000. Wow.#RolandGarros | @rolandgarros @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/cKZOCceas9
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) June 4, 2025
21, 73 - Coco Gauff (21 years and 73 days) is the youngest American to reach back-to-back Women’s Singles semi-finals at Roland Garros since Andrea Jaeger (16 years and 354 days) in 1982. Comeback.#RolandGarros | @rolandgarros @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/Oxbpd9R7P8
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) June 4, 2025
After the win, Gauff admitted that the early morning Paris weather (match started at 11:00 local time) threw her off guard.
"I changed [the racquet tension] at 4-1, and after that I had chances to win the first set," she said, via WTA. "It's difficult to find the tension and how you want to play. I thought with the roof closed it would play slower, which it did in some moments, but I felt it was quick too. Also, I was playing Madison, so I don't know if that was the reason why!"
Gauff will face either teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva or Lois Boisson in Friday's semifinal. The American is eying her first major since her 2023 U.S. Open title. She had an underwhelming 2024 that saw her lose in the fourth round at both the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.
More must-reads:
- Mirra Miracle: World No. 361 Lois Boisson makes history, stuns Andreeva to reach French Open semifinals
- Watch: Mirra Andreeva scares ball boy with her angry outburst
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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Rory McIlroy Reveals Why He Didn’t Go To St Jude Championship
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Commanders have major hang-up preventing them from paying Terry McLaurin what he's due
It’s been two weeks since Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin publicly revealed his trade request, and a resolution doesn’t appear to be in sight. Thanks to ESPN’s John Keim, we’re starting to get more insight into how the Commanders are approaching negotiations…and how they run counter to their star wide receiver’s financial desires. As we’ve assumed all along, the Commanders are wary of giving McLaurin a lucrative contract that would extend well into the player’s 30s. As Keim notes, the Commanders “rely heavily on analytics,” and those numbers aren’t particularly kind to receivers on the wrong side of 30. They may be onto something. Per ESPN Research, over the past five years, only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game (that number jumps to six players if you adjust for 60-plus receiving yards). Further, the team can simply point to the NFL landscape, as other teams are also clearly wary of paying aging wideouts. Among the 24 active wide receivers who are attached to the most guaranteed money, only Tyreek Hill was older than 30 when the deal was signed. McLaurin has continually pointed to his lack of mileage despite his age; he barely played during his first two years at Ohio State, meaning he may not have the same wear and tear as similar players his age. McLaurin is also naturally pointing to the stat sheet, as the receiver has continually produced despite uncertain QB play, uncertain ownership and a handful of different coaching staffs. Per Keim, the Commanders don’t want to pay McLaurin based on his past performance, with the front office preferring to shape any future contracts based on his projections for age-31-plus seasons. The organization also doesn’t want to set a new precedent by paying McLaurin, as it could convince future veterans to push for lucrative deals in their 30s. While McLaurin has taken the drastic measure of requesting a trade out of Washington, the organization is still convinced they have leverage in this showdown. After all, the player is still under contract for the 2025 campaign, meaning McLaurin will have to forfeit game checks if he sits out games. The team could even choose to slap him with the franchise tag next offseason (which could come in north of $30M), meaning they’re in full control of the player’s fate moving forward. The team is also skeptical that another suitor is going to willingly pay McLaurin the type of money he’s seeking. Per Keim, there’s doubts around the league about whether another team would be willing to meet the receiver’s demands. Even if a clear suitor does emerge, Keim makes it clear that Washington’s front office won’t give the star away without receiving a haul. We heard recently that McLaurin wasn’t necessarily seeking a deal that matched fellow 2019 draftee D.K. Metcalf‘s deal with the Steelers. However, Keim says Metcalf’s contract has generally served as a guide for McLaurin, but it’s uncertain whether the Commanders wideout is looking to match the AAV ($33M) or total guarantees ($60M). Ultimately, one source believes the Commanders may agree to pay McLaurin a contract that will pay $28M per year. Of course, it’s uncertain if the player would even accept that offer. If that hypothetical maximum offer doesn’t end in a signing, a divorce may be the logical next step.
Yankees Announce Paul Goldschmidt News After Loss to Twins
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Bruins' top prospect makes decision on college that will shake up the scene
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