Grand Slam champs Coco Gauff and Madison Keys meet in an all-American quarterfinal

While many fans back in the States hoped to see three American women in the singles quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula fell to 361st-ranked French wild card Lois Boisson in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset. Now, Gauff and Keys are left vying for a spot in the semifinals. Both have one singles Grand Slam title to their names, and this semifinal puts each one step closer to snagging another.  

Gauff, who entered Roland Garros as the No. 2 seed, defeated 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 in the fourth round. That win bumped 21-year-old Gauff into the French Open quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive time. Even as the winner of the 2023 US Open, Gauff has seen the most consistent success on clay in Paris—reaching the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2023, the semifinals in 2024 and the finals in 2022.

However, she’ll face fierce competition in Keys. The No. 7 seed earned her spot in the quarterfinal after defeating fellow American Hailey Baptiste, 6-3, 7-5. 

“I think Coco is obviously pretty dominant on clay. I would say it's probably her best surface to play on. It's obviously a big challenge,” Keys said in a press conference after Round 4. “I think for me it's going to be a lot about trying to balance going after things, but knowing with her ability to cover the court. You're going to have to win the point multiple times before it's actually over.” 

They last met in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Madrid Open, which was also their only previous experience together on clay. Looking down the line at the semifinal, Gauff or Keys will potentially take on Frenchwoman Boisson, who remarkably defeated Pegula, or No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva, the 18-year-old phenom who also hasn’t yet dropped a set in Paris.

For more from Paris, including daily match schedules and draws, visit the official Roland Garros website.