French Open Quarterfinal Preview: Coco Gauff vs. Madison Keys
Still undefeated in Grand Slam events this year, Madison Keys is set to face 2022 French Open finalist Coco Gauff in an all-American showdown in Wednesday’s quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Keys rides into the last eight on an 11 match Grand Slam winning streak and is aiming to stretch it to 12. Gauff, meanwhile, is looking to make her third semifinal appearance in Paris within the last four years.
Keys’ Path and Momentum
Madison Keys battled past Sofia Kenin in a thrilling third-round encounter between two former major champions, then followed that with a straight-sets win over Hailey Baptiste on Monday. This marks only her third French Open quarterfinal, having previously reached this stage in 2018 and 2019.
The 30 year old, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, is now eyeing a semifinal return like in 2018. Her recent win also made her the oldest American woman to reach the French Open quarters since Serena Williams in 2016.
Aiming to book a semifinal clash against either Mirra Andreeva or Lois Boisson, Keys holds a 2-0 head-to-head lead over Gauff in their past two meetings, including a clay-court win in Madrid last year.
Gauff’s Consistency and Current Form
Beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16, Gauff delivered a dominant performance. She dropped just five games in a 6-0, 7-5 victory, committing only 11 unforced forehand errors and four double faults a sharp contrast to her usual inconsistency in those areas.
This win sends the 21 year old into her fifth consecutive French Open quarterfinal, showcasing remarkable consistency at Roland Garros. Since a second-round exit in 2020, she has reached the last eight every year. Now with a 24-5 record at the French Open, she is chasing a 25th win and her second straight semifinal appearance in Paris.
Notably, Gauff has become the fourth-youngest player in the Open Era (at 21 years and 73 days) to reach five straight French Open quarterfinals joining legends like Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf, and Conchita Martínez.
Tournament so far
Madison Keys:
First round: vs. Daria Saville 6-3 6-2
Second round: vs. Katie Boulter 6-4 6-3
Third round: vs. Sofia Kenin 6-4 4-6 6-3
Round of 16: vs. Hailey Baptiste 6-3 7-5
Coco Gauff:
First round: vs. Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2
Second round: vs. Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4
Third round: vs. Marie Bouzkova 6-1 7-6(3)
Round of 16: vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Their rivalry stands at 3-2 in Keys’ favor. Keys won their first encounter in Adelaide in 2022 and has taken the last two matches at Eastbourne and Madrid following Gauff’s back-to-back wins in Dubai and the US Open.
Their closely matched records against top-10 opponents this year show how tight this clash could be: Keys holds a 5-2 mark, while Gauff is 5-3.
Prediction
While Gauff can be erratic with her forehand and serve, her powerful baseline game and movement on clay could give her the edge. Expect a competitive, unpredictable battle, but the 21 year old is tipped to end her two-match skid against Keys and advance to her third Roland Garros semifinal.
Prediction: Gauff to win in three sets.
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