Defending champion Coco Gauff faced a surprising exit from Roland Garros after a hard-fought match against Austria’s Anastasia Potapova. The third-round match saw Potapova, seeded 28th, overcome Gauff, who was seeded fourth, with scores of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Match Highlights

Gauff initially took the lead by winning the first set, but Potapova made a strong comeback in the second set. Despite Gauff’s efforts to recover from a 5-2 deficit, Potapova secured the tiebreaker 7-1. The third set was a back-and-forth battle, with Gauff briefly leading 3-1 before Potapova rallied to win five of the next six games, clinching her spot in the fourth round.

This defeat marks Gauff’s earliest exit at Roland Garros since her debut in 2020. After her victory in Paris last year, Gauff had hoped to defend her title but faced challenges in recent Grand Slam tournaments, including an early exit at Wimbledon and a fourth-round finish at the US Open. She reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier this year.

Challenges for American Players

Gauff’s loss was part of a difficult day for American women at the French Open. Amanda Anisimova, a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open, was also defeated by France’s Diane Parry in a three-set match, ending in a tiebreaker.

The tournament has seen several unexpected results, particularly on the men’s side. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner was eliminated after struggling with the heat, and Novak Djokovic faced an early exit against Brazilian teenager Joao Foncesca.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.