French Open 2023: Coco Gauff vs. Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals; Djokovic-Alcaraz next

Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts during her fourth round match of the French Open tennis tournament against Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff wanted to play Iga Swiatek at the French Open again.

Gauff will get that matchup in the quarterfinals on Wednesday — a year after losing to Swiatek in the final at Roland Garros.

Swiatek won her second championship on the red clay of Paris by defeating Gauff in straight sets in 2022. That is part of a 6-0 career edge Swiatek holds head-to-head.

“It would be almost cowardly to say that I want to not face the noise and not face the challenge,” said Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, “but I think that I’m up for it. I have improved a lot since last year, and she has, too.”

Swiatek, a 22-year-old from Poland, has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year. Gauff is currently No. 6.

Swiatek owns a total of three Grand Slam titles. Gauff is seeking her first.

“This is a totally different year, totally different tournament,” Swiatek said. “I have to be ready, regardless of what happened last year.

The other women’s quarterfinal Wednesday will be Ons Jabeur vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia. The men’s matches are No. 4 Casper Ruud against No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 22 Alexander Zverev vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

WHAT HAPPENED TUESDAY?

No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Novak Djokovic set up the semifinal showdown everyone has been waiting for. Alcaraz beat No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5). That came after Djokovic played a perfect tiebreaker and a nearly perfect third set to eliminate No. 11 Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4. Alcaraz, who last year’s U.S. Open, and Djokovic, a 22-time major champion, will meet Friday.

In women’s action, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded Karolina Muchova advanced to Thursday’s women’s semifinals. Sabalenka appeared at a news conference for the first time in nearly a week after skipping the post-match sessions after each of her previous two matches.

WHEN ARE WEDNESDAY’S MATCHES?

All singles play is scheduled for Court Philippe Chatrier, with matches beginning at 11 a.m. local time in Paris, which is 5 a.m. EDT. First up is Jabeur vs. Haddad Maria, followed by Swiatek vs. Gauff, then Zverev vs. Etcheverry. The night match is Ruud-Rune, scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. local time, which is 2:15 p.m. EDT.

GET CAUGHT UP

What you need to know about the year’s second Grand Slam tennis tournament:

— Rafael Nadal is not here

— Can AI help prevent cyberbullying of tennis players?

— French players bid a quick adieu to French Open

— Novak Djokovic can break a tie with Nadal by winning Slam No. 23

— Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina split past four major titles

— Carlos Alcaraz hits shots no one else does

— Facts and figures about the French Open, including a look back at 2022

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

Try your hand at the AP’s latest tennis quiz here.

BETTING GUIDE

Swiatek is a minus-1200 money-line pick against Gauff, who is listed at plus-680, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Think Swiatek will win in two sets? That is listed at minus-320. Just as she has been since before the tournament began, Swiatek remains the pick for the women’s title, at minus-185; Gauff is listed at plus-2100. Alcaraz has moved to minus-165 to win the men’s championship, followed by Djokovic at plus-200.

THE NUMBER TO KNOW

45 — Grand Slam semifinals reached by Novak Djokovic, one behind Roger Federer for the men’s record. Djokovic’s opponent Friday, Carlos Alcaraz, will be appearing in his second major semifinal.

THE QUOTE TO KNOW

“I don’t want to be involved in any politics. I just want to be a tennis player.” — Aryna Sabalenka, at her first post-match news conference in nearly a week after skipping two media sessions. She is from Belarus, a country that aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

HOW TO WATCH

— In the U.S.: Tennis Channel, NBC, Peacock.

— In France: France TV, Amazon Prime.

— Other countries listed here.

UPCOMING SINGLES SCHEDULE

— Wednesday: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— Thursday: Women’s Semifinals

— Friday: Men’s Semifinals

— Saturday: Women’s Final

— Sunday: Men’s Final

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