French Open: Krejcikova beats Gauff, reaches her first singles semi-finals
Barbora Krejcikova has beaten America's Coco Gauff to book a spot in the semi-final of the 2021 French Open. The world number seven (doubles) staged a dramatic turnaround after trailing in the first set, winning 7-5 (8-6), 6-3 eventually. Krejcikova, who earlier humbled Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-0, in 67 minutes, has qualified for her first Grand Slam singles semis. Here are further details.
Both Gauff and Krejcikova were competitive in the first set. The former held a 3-0 lead initially, however, Krejcikova broke her serve to make it 3-3. She made another comeback from a 3-5 deficit, taking it to the tie-break. The tie-break ended in an emphatic manner as Krejcikova won 8-6. Krejcikova carried the momentum in the second set too, handing Gauff a straight-set defeat.
Gauff could have qualified for her first major semi-finals. However, this is still her best run at a Grand Slam. After beating Jabeur in the fourth round, Gauff became the youngest American to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final since the 1997 US Open (Venus Williams).
World number 33, Krejcikova has qualified for her first Grand Slam semi-final (singles). She reached the fourth round at the last year's French Open, her previous-best run in the tournament. Notably, Krejcikova won the French Open and Wimbledon in the doubles event in 2018. She also has three Australian Open titles in the mixed doubles event (2019, 2020, and 2021).
Barbora Krejcikova’s Road to the #RG21 Semis:
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) June 9, 2021
d. Kr.Pliskova, 57 64 62
d. [32] Alexandrova, 62 63
d. [5] Svitolina, 63 62
d. Stephens, 62 60
d. [24] Gauff, 76 63
Faces Swiatek or Sakkari.
Krejcikova won five quick games to lead 5-0 lead in the second set. The Czech player also held three match points while serving at 5-1, however, she conceded five consecutive points to give Gauff a lifeline. Gauff survived two more match points before finally falling. Notably, the American registered a total of 41 unforced errors in the match.
