Gauff Advances After Racket Mishap at French Open

Coco Gauff, world No. 2 and former French Open finalist, opened her 2025 Roland Garros campaign with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Australia's Olivia Gadecki despite briefly forgetting her rackets in the changing room. The 21-year-old American, who recently reached finals in both Madrid and Rome, will face Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in the second round. Gauff, already a Grand Slam champion and the youngest American US Open winner since Serena Williams, faces high expectations as she competes for her second major title. Her maturity and resilience continue to draw attention as she seeks to become the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2015 to win the French Open. The rackets mishap amused the crowd but did not disrupt her dominant performance. Gauff's progress at Roland Garros is closely watched as American women's tennis hunts for another major champion.