Second seed Coco Gauff advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2025 French Open with a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Russia’s 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday, June 2. The 21-year-old American, a former finalist in Paris, showcased her defensive prowess and relentless baseline play to dispatch a potentially dangerous opponent in just 82 minutes, keeping her hopes alive for a maiden singles title at the clay-court Grand Slam.
Gauff came out firing on Court Philippe-Chatrier, dominating the opening set with pinpoint accuracy and capitalizing on Alexandrova’s errors. The American broke her opponent’s serve three times to claim the first set 6-0 in a mere 25 minutes, winning 63% of her return points and dropping just five points on her own serve. Alexandrova, known for her powerful groundstrokes, struggled to find her rhythm, committing 15 unforced errors in the opening set alone.
The Russian showed signs of life in the second set, fighting back to level the score at 3-3 and later earning a break to lead 5-4. Gauff, however, remained composed under pressure. After a nervy moment where she double-faulted twice, the world number two held serve to tie the set at 5-5. Seizing the moment, Gauff pounced on Alexandrova’s serve in the next game, breaking without conceding a point. She then served out the match, sealing the victory with a whipped backhand that drew a final error from Alexandrova.
Gauff’s performance was a testament to her stellar clay-court form this season, having reached finals in Madrid and Rome prior to Paris. Despite only producing 14 winners compared to Alexandrova’s 22, her ability to force errors—33 from her opponent—proved decisive. The 2023 US Open champion saved eight of nine break points, showcasing her resilience and defensive tenacity.
This win marks Gauff’s fifth consecutive French Open quarter-final appearance, a remarkable feat for the youngest player to achieve this milestone in 17 years. She now awaits the winner of an all-American clash between seventh seed Madison Keys and unseeded Hailey Baptiste, setting up a highly anticipated quarter-final matchup. Gauff holds a 3-1 head-to-head record against Alexandrova, with her most recent victory coming at the 2024 Berlin Ladies Open, and her confidence on clay continues to grow.
Despite her dominant display, Gauff expressed frustration with the tournament’s scheduling, echoing comments made by Ons Jabeur about the lack of women’s matches in prime-time slots. The issue, which has sparked debate, did not distract her from delivering a clinical performance under the cool Parisian morning sky.