United States Open | Caroline Garcia qualifies for the semi-finals by beating Coco Gauff

(New York) Caroline Garcia, 17^e world, qualified Tuesday at the US Open for her first semi-final of a Grand Slam tournament by clearly dominating the American Coco Gauff (12^e) 6-3, 6-4.

“I don’t know how to describe what I feel, the energy was crazy, my head is buzzing,” said the 28-year-old Frenchwoman before leaving the Arthur-Ashe court.

At 28, she who had never passed the third round of the New York Major, will try Thursday to reach the final by facing the Tunisian Ons Jabeur (5^e), finalist of the last Wimbledon.

She becomes the first French player to reach the last four of a Major since Marion Bartoli when she won Wimbledon in 2013.

The Lyonnaise thus lined up a 13^e straight win since qualifying in Cincinnati where she won the tenth title of her career just before coming to New York.

Former world N.4 dropped to 79^e rank of the WTA on May 23, 2022, it should return to the Top 10 at the end of the tournament.

She is only the third French player to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows in the Open era (since 1968), after Amélie Mauresmo (2002 and 2006) and Mary Pierce (2005).

Always aggressive

Faced with Gauff, who had beaten her in their two previous meetings, in Indian Wells in 2021 and Doha in 2022, Garcia immediately took the match in hand by imposing her power, her speed, and by putting Gauff under a pressure that the American, finalist of the last Roland-Garros, could not bear (24 unforced errors, 26 caused errors).

“I have always played aggressively, it turns out that in recent months I have been in good enough physical shape to play this game and continue on this path,” she said.

Garcia thus managed the entry break in the first set by benefiting from a double fault from his opponent. Then she managed a double break thanks to a seemingly easy passing shot from Gauff, but she played too long.

Trailing 4-0, Gauff played a little more aggressively to take back a serve from Garcia, but the Frenchwoman got her hands on the match and won her first set point.

She followed up with a new entry break in the second set and did not let go of her advantage to conclude on her first match point, not without having saved a break point at 3-2.

Her crushing victory over the 19-year-old American tennis nugget confirms that Garcia is the most impressive player since the start of the tournament.

And she does not hide her ambitions before playing the next match: Jabeur, “since the juniors, she is strong. I look forward to taking up this challenge,” she said.

Ons Jabeur beats Ajla Tomljanovic

Tunisian Ons Jabeur, 5^e world champion and finalist at the last Wimbledon, qualified for her first US Open semi-final on Tuesday by beating Australian Ajla Tomljanovic (46^e), Serena Williams’ faller at 3^e round, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

“I knew it would be physically and psychologically difficult, especially with these repeated breaks and unbreaks,” commented Jabeur, who showed signs of nervousness.

“I apologize for my attitude, but the racket slipped from my hand,” she said with a big smile.

In total, the Tunisian took the serve of her opponent five times, who herself managed four breaks.

In the 2^e round, Tomljanovic served at 5-3 to equalize at a set everywhere, but she sabotaged her service game and offered the break to Jabeur following a double fault.

So that the two players came to the tie-break.

“I knew that the tie-break would be played on one or two points. I was lucky that she committed a double fault” which allowed Jabeur to break away 5/3 in this decisive game, commented the Tunisian.

“Capable of winning a Grand Slam”

At 28, she will try Thursday to climb for the second time in her career in the final of a Grand Slam tournament, by facing the French Caroline Garcia (17^e).

“I’m going to watch their game hoping they play five or six hours and kill each other!” “commented, smiling Jabeur.

More seriously, she stressed that the final played at Wimbledon this summer had “gave her confidence”.

“I lost, but I know since then that I am capable of winning a Grand Slam tournament,” said Jabeur, the first African player to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows in the Open era (since 1968 ).

Until then, she had never exceeded the 3^e turn in the New York Major.

For her part, Tomljanovic was playing her first quarter-final of the New York Major at the age of 29, where she had never passed the 3^e round.

She has already played Grand Slam quarter-finals twice, at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, without managing to climb into the last four.

But the 2022 edition of the US Open will remain marked for her by her victory at 3^e round against Serena Williams in an incandescent Arthur-Ashe arena, in a match that should go down as the last of the American’s career to 23 Grand Slam titles.