World number two Coco Gauff continued her relentless pursuit of a maiden French Open singles title, dismantling Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals in commanding fashion on Sunday at Roland Garros.
The 21-year-old American delivered a masterclass performance in the opening set, which lasted just 29 minutes as she dropped only five points across the first five games. Gauff’s dominance extended into the second set, where she maintained her composure to close out the victory and reach her fifth consecutive French Open quarter-final.
The 2022 runner-up now awaits the winner of Monday’s all-American fourth-round clash between Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste, setting up the possibility of another home-country showdown in the quarter-finals.
Gauff’s impressive form starkly contrasted the dramatic struggles faced by world number one Iga Swiatek, who staged a remarkable comeback to keep her quest for a fourth consecutive French Open title alive. The defending champion fought back from a set and a break down to defeat Elena Rybakina 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in one of Sunday’s most compelling matches.
The four-time Roland Garros champion found herself in serious trouble early, struggling to find her rhythm as Rybakina dominated the opening set. The situation worsened when Swiatek fell behind 2-0 in the second set, raising questions about her form after failing to reach a final since capturing last year’s title.
However, the 24-year-old Polish star demonstrated the resilience that has defined her career, clawing back to level the match before securing a hard-fought victory in the decider. Swiatek is now positioned to become the first woman to win four straight Roland Garros crowns since Suzanne Lenglen achieved the feat 102 years ago.
She will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in Tuesday’s quarter-finals, after Svitolina knocked out 2024 losing finalist Jasmine Paolini.
Meanwhile, defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz successfully navigated his fourth-round challenge, defeating American Ben Shelton 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals. The Spanish star will next face another American, Tommy Paul, who secured his spot with a commanding 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Alexei Popyrin.
The 22-year-old Shelton, still seeking his first Grand Slam title, proved a worthy opponent for Alcaraz, pushing the match to four sets and demonstrating why he’s considered one of tennis’s rising stars.
In other women’s action, world number one Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive Grand Slam run, reaching her 10th consecutive quarter-final with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 victory over American 16th seed Amanda Anisimova on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The Belarusian, who entered as the pre-tournament favourite, needed eight match points to close out the victory after Anisimova’s spirited resistance. Sabalenka quickly established a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Anisimova showed remarkable determination, saving six match points in a marathon service game to cut the deficit to 5-3 before Sabalenka finally sealed the win with a powerful backhand winner.
Sabalenka will face a familiar opponent in Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, who edged past Liudmila Samsonova to reach the quarters. The Chinese star notably defeated Sabalenka for the first time in their seven career meetings during the Italian Open quarter-finals in the lead-up to Roland Garros, adding intrigue to their upcoming encounter.
With the quarter-final lineup taking shape, the tournament continues to deliver compelling storylines as the remaining field battles for spots in the sport’s most prestigious clay court championship.
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