Courtesy:CocoGauff
Coco Gauff upset at French Open by Anastasia Potapova
The defending Roland-Garros champion falls in three sets in a stunning third-round exit
Coco Gauff’s bid for a second straight French Open title is over. No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova ended the defending champion’s run today at Roland-Garros, winning in three sets by a final score of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Gauff lost control after a strong start
Gauff took the opening set and looked composed early. Potapova steadied herself in the second set and forced a tiebreak, which she won to level the match. In the third set, Potapova fell behind 1-3 but then won three straight games to retake the lead. Gauff pulled level at four games each, though Potapova closed out the final two games to complete the upset.
Before today, Gauff had gone 5-0 in French Open third-round matches. She also had not dropped a set in this year’s tournament until the second set against Potapova.
Huge congrats to Anastasia Potapova she has knocked out the defending champion Coco Gauff in an absolute thriller! Potapova was 1-3 0-15 down in a decider but never gave up!
Shame to see so many empty seats for such a great match.
Shocks keep on coming! pic.twitter.com/kP6Pn5nPpU
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) May 30, 2026
A historic early exit for a defending champion
The loss marks the earliest Roland-Garros exit for a reigning women’s champion since 2022, when second-seeded Barbora Krejčíková fell in the first round to Diane Parry. Gauff also joins a growing list of top seeds who have exited this year’s draw before the second week.
Potapova earns a major milestone
For Potapova, the win is one of the biggest of her career. At 25, she now advances to the fourth round of a major for only the second time. Her previous trip to the French Open fourth round came in 2024, where she lost to eventual champion Iga Świątek.
Next up for Potapova is No. 22 seed Anna Kalinskaya on Monday. A win in that match would send her to her first grand slam quarterfinal.
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