PARIS — Coco Gauff, the tournament’s second seed, cruised past Russian opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova with a commanding 6-0, 7-5 victory on Monday, securing her spot in the French Open quarterfinals and keeping her dreams alive for a maiden title in Paris.
The American world No. 2 likely expected a straightforward morning after dismantling Alexandrova in a blistering first set, but the Russian rallied in the second, pushing Gauff to dig deep.
“I felt like I played well throughout,” Gauff reflected. “She definitely raised her level in the second set, but overall, I think I performed strongly.”
Comfortable and confident on the clay courts, Gauff added, “I move well here, especially with sliding and covering the court. Clay is the toughest surface physically, and I’m proud of how I manage that.”
Chasing her first French Open trophy after finishing runner-up in 2022 and reaching the semifinals last year, the 21-year-old burst out of the gate, quickly claiming three breaks in a row to storm to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes. Gauff relentlessly chased Alexandrova around the baseline, leaving the 30-year-old Russian, who was aiming for her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, struggling to find rhythm and managing only five points in that stretch.
With this win, Gauff has now taken four of their five career encounters. Despite surrendering five break points in the following game, she sealed the first set without dropping a game, marking her first bagel of the tournament. Alexandrova finally got on the board with a hold to open the second set, showing signs of resistance.
As the match progressed, unforced errors crept into Gauff’s game, allowing Alexandrova to fight back harder. The young American, who is the youngest U.S. player to reach the fourth round or better at seven straight Grand Slams since Venus Williams in the late 1990s, broke Alexandrova at 3-3.
But the Russian struck back immediately, breaking Gauff to take a 5-4 lead. Gauff appeared shaken for a moment, double-faulting twice before holding serve to level the score.
Showing remarkable poise, Gauff regained control, broke Alexandrova again, and closed out the match on her own serve. Up next for Gauff is the winner of the all-American showdown between Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste, promising an exciting quarterfinal clash.
With this hard-fought victory, Gauff stays firmly on course in her pursuit of glory on the clay courts of Roland Garros.
