"In the bathroom I was like this is really fun" - Coco Gauff revels in hostile French Open QF atmosphere to oust Ons Jabeur
Coco Gauff did not have the backing of the crowd in attendance at her French Open quarterfinal clash against Ons Jabeur. However, the reigning US Open champion proved her agility and rose above the hostile crowd on Stade Roland Garros' Court Philippe Chatrier to register a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over the Tunisian.
The first set saw Gauff struggle as Jabeur leveraged her powerful yet accurate first serves to devastating effect, winning 17 out of 18 first-serve points. Gauff was also unable to engineer break point opportunities. The set ended with an 114 mph (184 kph) ace from Jabeur, who was oozing confidence at this point.
However, Gauff, as she has so often done in the past, didn't take things lying down. She took her aggression up by a few notches in the second set, while Jabeur's game dipped. Across the second and third sets, Gauff hit 16 winners.
The World No. 3 could have dashed Jabeur's hopes earlier when the third set was 5-2 in her favor. However, a momentary resurgence from the Tunisian extended the match, but ultimately, Gauff would not be denied.
During her post-match on-court interview with Alex Corretja, Gauff thanked the crowd despite the majority having relentlessly cheered for Jabeur to win. The reigning US Open champion also admitted that even she herself is an avid fan of the Tunisian.
"Yeah, she's (Jabeur) a tough opponent. She's well-loved on tour. I could tell by the crowd today, you guys wanted her to win, but honestly when she's playing her I cheer for her," Gauff said.
Gauff also said that during the bathroom break following her first set loss, she kept thinking that irrespective of the result, playing in the hostile atmosphere was "really fun".
"Thank you for making it a good atmosphere. The people made it really fun for me. I like playing in environments like this. Even though you guys were for Ons, I had a lot of fun. Even when I lost the first set and they were chanting.. When I was in the bathroom I was just like 'this is really fun, win or lose'," Gauff added.
A rematch of the 2022 French Open final is on the cards for Coco Gauff at this year's Roland Garros semifinals
In 2022, Gauff reached the French Open final, but was thoroughly outclassed by Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-3. This year, the World No. 3 will get a chance to exact revenge for her 2022 final loss to the Pole in the semifinals.
Swiatek, on the same half of the women's singles draw as Gauff, took on reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in another quarterfinal matchup and progressed to the semi-final after a 6-0, 6-2 win.
However, Gauff has a dismal head-to-head record against the World No. 1, having lost ten out of their 11 meetings on the WTA Tour. Swiatek herself is in the form of her life, having started her French Open title defense on the back of title triumphs at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open in the buildup to the claycourt Major.