World No 1 wins 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 as champion crumbles
Gauff ends Boisson’s fairytale run with 6-1, 6-2 rout
After successfully devoting the past few years of her life to becoming a more well-rounded player and mentally durable individual, Aryna Sabalenka arrived on court for her second French Open semi-final certain that she was finally ready for more. No challenge, not even the task of ending an era of total dominance at Roland Garros, felt beyond her.
In the face of her greatest rival on the court Iga Swiatek has made her own, Sabalenka converted her phenomenal form and fortitude into one of the most significant victories of her career, as she held her nerve in three delicious, tension-filled sets to topple the four-time French Open champion 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 and reach the final at Roland Garros for the first time.
Saturday’s final will be a tussle between the top two players after Coco Gauff, the No 2 seed, put an end to Loïs Boisson’s fairytale run to the semi-finals by ruthlessly dismantling the local wildcard 6-1, 6-2 to reach her second French Open final and third major final overall.
