Coco Gauff, who reached the finals last year, overcame a slow start and ended the adventure of young Mira Andreva at the French Open with a victory of 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the fourth round on Saturday. In sunny conditions, Gauff struggled against the powerful shots from the Russian Andreva before regaining her form to advance to face either Slovakian Anna Karolína Schmiedlová or American Kayla Day, with a potential matchup against defending champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.
The 19-year-old Gauff said, "Mira is a young player and has a big future ahead of her. I remember when I played here at 15, and she looks to be in better shape." She added, "In the first set, I had some opportunities and we exchanged breaks of serve. Overall, I knew the game plan, so I tried to execute it in the second and third sets. We practiced together (before the draw), so I’m sure she recognized some of my styles, and I recognized some of her ways."
The 16-year-old Andreva caught the spotlight by winning against two top-20 players at the Madrid Open and led 4-2 in the first set thanks to her strong backhand shots. However, Gauff rallied, taking a 5-4 lead and then leading 30-0 before losing her serve, followed by a weak shot at the net during the tiebreak that gave Andreva the chance to take the lead.
The Russian player missed two opportunities to clinch the first set and received a warning after hitting towards the stands in the packed Suzanne Lenglen court. Nevertheless, Andreva managed to stay calm and won the set. After falling behind in the second set, Andreva broke her racket in frustration as Gauff claimed five consecutive games. The American player broke her opponent's serve to lead 3-1.
