Coco Gauff forgets rackets before finding groove for winning French Open start

PARIS – Second seed Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court, but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a thumping 6-2, 6-2 victory over unseeded Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round on May 27.

The American former runner-up grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag as her entourage scampered to supply her with her equipment after discovering she had left the rackets in the changing rooms ahead of the midday clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for the short delay by powering through the opening three games and bagged the first set with a battling hold after dropping her service earlier.

There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the match despite the blustery conditions and closed out a comfortable victory. The 21-year-old meets Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova, 18, in the next round.

“It was really windy. I knew it wasn’t going to be a clean match with the wind but, overall, I’m really happy with the way I played. It was two different matches depending on what side of the court you are on,” said Gauff, who hit seven double faults.

She played her first Grand Slam final at senior level against Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open, losing in straight sets. A year after that, she won the US Open title.

The American is coming off back-to-back final defeats in both Roland Garros warmup tournaments in Madrid and Rome, losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini respectively.

Fellow title contender Mirra Andreeva also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa to continue her fine form this season.

The Russian, a surprise semi-finalist in Paris at the age of 17 in 2024, needed time to get going after quickly finding herself two breaks down and 3-0 behind in the first set. The teenager had trouble finding her range with 11 unforced errors in the opening six games.

“I can say she played amazing especially in the beginning,” Andreeva said.

“I felt I was playing not bad, but how is it I am 0-3 behind? I told myself to keep playing. Step by step, point by point, I found my rhythm. In the end, it was easier to push and stay aggressive.”

The sixth seed, who won back-to-back WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells this season, reined in her opponent, winning four consecutive games to snatch the first set with another break.

Andreeva then kept up the pressure, running her world No. 98 opponent ragged across the baseline and earning another break with a fierce forehand down the line to move 3-1 up and subsequently win the match.

In the men’s draw, Alexander Zverev made an impressive start to his latest bid for a first Grand Slam title with a straight-set victory over American teenager Learner Tien.

The German third seed, who lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 French Open final, won 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Earlier on May 26, Jannik Sinner navigated mild turbulence for a winning return to Grand Slam tennis as the world No. 1 launched his hunt for a maiden French Open trophy with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 first-round victory over Arthur Rinderknech.

The Italian served a three-month doping ban shortly after retaining his Australian Open title in January and looked close to his best in a run to the Rome final on his return earlier in May, but faced some stern questions from 75th-ranked local hope Rinderknech.

“First-round matches are never easy, so I’m happy how I handled the situation coming back in the third set,” Sinner said about clawing his way back from 4-0 down.

“We have played before and know each other well and he’s an amazing player.”

The 23-year-old wrapped up the win in style to extend his winning streak at the Slams to 15 matches before his second-round clash with French 38-year-old veteran Richard Gasquet, who will retire after this tournament. REUTERS, AFP