Coco Gauff had lost the first set 6-2 against the powerful Iga Swiatek in the Roland Garros semi-finals and was looking to come back from the match in order to reach the second final of his career in this Grand Slam. The 2-1 favorable score in the second set, added to the 0-15 with the Pole’s serve, put her in a favorable position, but everything suddenly went haywire.
The current number 1 on the planet launched its service close to the strap. There were doubts about the legality of the point, but a cross-decision between umpire Aurelie Tourte and the linesman finally determined that the serve had been good. Therefore, the setback of the 3rd in the world that had gone outside meant 15-15.
Coco burst out: “No, he didn’t, he sang it and then I hit, I’m 100% sure”. Angry at the change in the decision of the main judge who annulled the “out” of her colleague, the North American stated: “she said it before I hit, you’ve already seen my reaction, I didn’t even finish. Are you serious? She yelled it before I hit. Can you ask them?”. The 20-year-old player, one of the great realities of the current women’s circuit, did not stop: “They are booing because you know you are wrong! They’re booing because you’re wrong. She yelled before he hit the ball. “I have the right to finish my swing.”
“You’re wrong and it’s the second time it’s happened. “It’s a Grand Slam semi-final, I know the rules of the game.”, he insisted. After that came the moment of helplessness in which she could not hide her tears from him and spent a few seconds drying herself with a wristband before resuming the activity.
The truth is that Gauff managed to take that game on the second available break point he had and went 3-1 up in the partial, but the psychological effect began to fall later: The defending French Open champion put together five consecutive games to take a 5-3 lead. He wasted two matchpoints, but in the next game, already with his serve, he let another match point pass and in the fourth chance he did not fail.
After the meeting, the North American who holds 7 professional titles (including the 2023 US Open) attended the press conference and referred to this event that went around the world: “I was overwhelmed by everything. Obviously, he was losing the game. When you play against her, every point matters, every point matters against anyone, but especially against her. It’s been one of those moments, but I’m over it.. “I don’t normally get frustrated with decisions like that, but I think it was a combination of everything that was going on at the time.”
And he raised the arbitration problems that this sport has: “Tennis is the only sport in which we do not have a video replay system, many decisions are made by one person. In other sports, there are several referees who decide. It’s ridiculous that we don’t have it at this point. Not only because of what has happened to me, but because all sports have it. Many decisions are made, and it is annoying when a player goes into the net and sees that he was right. You can call the supervisor, but he can’t really do much. I think that as a sport, we have to evolve, we have the technology. If they show it on TV, why can’t the player see it?”.
Finally, Swiatek He won this duel in just over an hour and a half with 6-2 and 6-4, to reach the fourth Roland Garros final in his history. Champion in the 2020, 2022 and 2023 editionsthe 23-year-old player will seek to lift her fifth Grand Slam crown after also having won the US Open in 2022.
After falling in the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2021, the Polish tennis player will play the defining duel against Jasmine Paolini, who eliminated the 17-year-old Russian surprise Mirra Andreeva with a 6-3 and 6-1. The 28-year-old Italian is 15th in the WTA rankings and had her best position this year by climbing to 12th. It will be the third confrontation between the two after two previous victories for the current 1 on the planet.
Of the 21 crowns of his career, four were achieved this year and climbing to the top of Roland Garros would mean for Swiatek be among the top winners in France in the Open Era along with the Belgian Justin Heninbehind the German Steffi Graf (6) and the North American Chris Evert (7).
