ROLAND GARROS, PARIS — Coco Gauff is heading back to the French Open final.
She booked her spot in a No. 2 vs. No. 1 showdown against Aryna Sablenka with a commanding win over Loïs Boisson, the French wild card who had become the toast of the tournament. Gauff, who so often has crowds behind her, entered enemy territory Thursday evening, taking on Boisson and 15,000 French fans ready to blow the roof off Court Philippe-Chatrier.
She beat both, badly. Gauff matched Boisson shot for shot in nearly every rally, either waiting for the error or a ball she could jump on. When it was over after 70 minutes, she had a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over a woman who had spent the past fortnight scrambling the brains of some of the best players in the world.
After looking like a superstar for 10 days, Boisson, with Gauff’s help, reverted to a player who only this week broke into the top 100.
There are a couple of different ways Gauff loses matches these days. Sometimes she loses control of her serve and her groundstrokes and can’t find the court. Other times, a power-player like Sabalenka plays first-strike tennis against her, taking time away.
Like most players, Gauff craves time to set her feet and get her body behind the ball. She’s as good as anyone at using her legs to steal time back,…
