Defending Champion Gauff Powers Past Townsend on Court Philippe-Chatrier

Gauff shakes off early struggles to advance at Roland Garros

The fourth seed regained composure after an early dip and broke Townsend late to take the first set before dominating the second.

Playing in hot conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff advanced to the second round with a straight-sets win over her American compatriot...

Defending champion Coco Gauff shook off a slow start and defeated fellow American Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-0 on Tuesday to open her French Open title defense with a strong win.

Playing under hot conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Gauff looked out of rhythm early and came close to falling behind by two breaks against her compatriot.

The heat at Roland-Garros is nothing for Florida native Coco Gauff 😎 pic.twitter.com/iJ66X2rEzf

— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 26, 2026

“I have so many great memories on this court,” Gauff, ‌who beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final last year, ‌said.

“I was a little nervous going out today, that showed a bit, but I was able to ⁠find ⁠my calm.”

The fourth seed quickly regained her composure, took control of the match, and advanced to the second round without further trouble.

👊 @CocoGauff gets underway in Paris!

Round 2 🔜#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/5mhQcszAxY

— wta (@WTA) May 26, 2026

Gauff double-faulted on set point at 5-3 in the opening set, but she broke Townsend’s serve in the following game to take the set.