French Open: Defending champion Coco Gauff breezes past Mayar Sherif
What's the story
Defending champion Coco Gauff has advanced to the third round of the 2026 French Open after a straight-set victory over qualifier Mayar Sherif. Despite some serving issues, the American tennis star won 6-3, 6-2 in a match that saw her break Sherif's serve multiple times. Gauff's next opponent in the French Open third round will be the winner of the match between No. 28 seed Anastasia Potapova and Katia Boulter.
Match details
A look at match summary
In the first set, Gauff broke Sherif's serve twice but also gave it back on two occasions. However, she kept her composure and broke Sherif again in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. The second set saw a similar pattern with Gauff breaking Sherif's serve twice but allowing her to level the score at 2-2 each time. But just like before, she stayed calm and secured victory with breaks in the fifth and seventh games.
Information
80-24 win-loss record at Grand Slams
Gauff has raced to an 80-24 win-loss record at Grand Slams. At Roland Garros, she is 29-5. Notably, besides winning the 2025 title here in Paris, she also reached the semis once and is a one-time runner-up. She is chasing her third women's singles Grand Slam honor.
Do you know?
A massive Roland Garros record for Gauff
As per Opta, Gauff has claimed the most women's singles main draw wins at Roland Garros (29) among players competing for the United States of America before turning 23, surpassing Mary Joe Fernandez (28).
Match stats
Here are the match stats
Gauff doled out two aces compared to Sherif's none. In terms of double faults, Gauff (3) committed more than her opponent (2). Gauff converted 7/16 break points and clocked 23 winners. Sherif clocked 18 winners. In terms of unforced errors, Sherif made 32 compared to 23 of Gauff. Gauff had 69% win on the 1st serve and 33% win on the 2nd.