Anastasia Potapova Stuns Defending Champion Coco Gauff at French Open in Three-Set Thriller

Coco Gauff’s reign as French Open champion is over. The American defending champion was eliminated from Roland Garros by World No. 28 Anastasia Potapova in a contest that lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The match was far from straightforward for Potapova. After taking an early 4-2 lead in the opening set, the Russian lost her footing and dropped it 6-4, appearing to hand Gauff control of the match. Potapova regrouped, however, claiming the second set 7-6 in a tiebreak before forcing a decider and ultimately securing the win in the third set to complete one of the more significant upsets of the tournament so far.

Potapova was visibly affected by cramping even as she spoke to reporters after the match, but her elation was unmistakable. “I’m cramping a little bit but it’s OK, it’s all good,” she said. “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 added that the result ranks among her best career victories: “It’s up there in the top three of my biggest wins for sure.”

In her on-court remarks, Potapova also offered a generous tribute to the player she had just defeated. “Wow, I don’t have any words now. I’m extremely happy, and the fight that we could show, both of us. Coco is such a champion. I respect her so much, and I’m unbelievably proud of myself as well, that I stayed there, that I’ve been fighting for the last point and here I am.”

The defeat carries ranking consequences for Gauff, who will drop out of the top five in the WTA standings as a result. Potapova, meanwhile, advances to face 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya, with a place in her first-ever Roland Garros quarterfinal at stake.

Gauff’s exit is part of a broader pattern of high-profile departures from the draw this fortnight. Earlier in the tournament, Novak Djokovic also suffered a shock defeat, falling to young Brazilian Joao Fonseca — a result that drew considerable attention across the tennis world.

On the same day as Gauff’s defeat, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka continued her own Roland Garros campaign with a straight-sets victory over Daria Kasatkina. The win made Sabalenka only the ninth player in history to record 100 victories while ranked world No. 1, a milestone she described with evident emotion. “It has definitely been a great week,” Sabalenka said in her post-match interview. “I’m happy to be through to the second week, happy with my level, and to be able to handle the fight that she brought and get a straight-sets win.”

Reflecting on the broader significance of the achievement, Sabalenka added: “I’ve got goosebumps. It means the world to me and I’m just happy that in the tough moments I stayed tough. I was fighting and never gave up and that is what it has brought me. I’m super proud of myself and my team. We’ve reached an amazing level that felt impossible.”

With Gauff now eliminated, Sabalenka stands as one of the clearest favourites to claim the women’s title at Roland Garros as the tournament moves into its second week.