Coco Gauff, the 22-year-old defending French Open champion and fourth seed, lost in the third round to 25-year-old Anastasia Potapova on Court Philippe Chatrier on May 30, ending her title defence [1, 2, 3]. Potapova rallied from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 and reach the fourth round for the first time at Roland Garros [1, 4].
Gauff started the tournament strongly with straight-set wins over Taylor Townsend (6-4, 6-0) on May 26 and qualifier Mayar Sherif (6-3, 6-2) on May 28, bringing her career Grand Slam main draw wins to 80 [5, 6, 7, 8]. She acknowledged the physical demands after her loss, saying, "It was a physical tough match. I was really tested today. It took a lot of strength today. I will be focusing on getting more my rhythm back because I did not have it today" [6]. She admitted she struggled to capitalise on chances, adding, "She was able to finish the points and I wasn’t. Just not capitalising on certain shots" [3].
Potapova, seeded 28th, has had a breakthrough 2026 season with solid clay results. She reached the Madrid Open semifinals as a lucky loser and beat top players like Karolina Pliskova and Jelena Ostapenko [9]. Born in Russia, Potapova switched to represent Austria in December 2025 and credited the change for boosting her confidence. "I feel free, I feel better, I feel the support from Austrian people. For sure it's given me extra boost of energy to fight for those wins," she said [9].
The match on May 30 was played before a mostly empty stadium, as many French fans chose to watch the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal [1, 4, 3]. Potapova said she experienced some cramping but was thrilled with her comeback. "I'm cramping a little bit but it's OK, it's all good. I don't have any words now, I'm extremely happy. The fight we could show, both of us - Coco is such a champion and I respect her so much. I'm unbelievably proud of myself that I stayed there, that I was fighting until the last point," she said [2].
Potapova will next face Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round [1, 2]. Meanwhile, French teenager Moise Kouame, ranked 318, drew attention with a nearly five-hour second-round win on May 28 and was scheduled to play again on May 30 [10, 11]. World number one Aryna Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, advanced beyond the third round as well [10, 3].
