Defending champion Coco Gauff crashed out of the French Open in the third round after a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 defeat to Anastasia Potapova. The American, seeded fourth, led by a break in the deciding set but lost five of the final six games, lamenting her inability to capitalise under pressure. “I had a couple of break points at 3-all and missed three backhands – that just can’t happen,” said Gauff.
Potapova, the 28th seed, recovered from a set down to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time. The Russian-born Austrian player credited her increased maturity and improved mentality for the result. “This is the first time I managed to stay this consistent. It’s a combination of experience and maturity,” she said.
The top half of the men’s draw has been thrown wide open after upsets to Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic earlier in the week. Juan Martín Cerúndolo, who defeated a diminished Sinner on Thursday, registered a marathon 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (7), 7-6 (8) victory over Martín Landaluce. At five hours and 58 minutes, it is the longest match at Roland Garros since the introduction of the final-set tiebreak in 2022.
Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist, survived two match points to beat Francisco Comesaña 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (13) in five hours and 13 minutes. Other five-set winners included Matteo Arnaldi and Zachary Svajda, while French teenager Moïse Kouamé saw his breakthrough run ended by Alejandro Tabilo.
