Coco Gauff forgets rackets before finding groove for winning French Open start

PARIS – Second seed Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court, but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a thumping 6-2, 6-2 victory over unseeded Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round on May 27.

The American former runner-up grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag as her entourage scampered to supply her with her equipment after discovering she had left the rackets in the changing rooms ahead of the midday clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for the short delay by powering through the opening three games and bagged the first set with a battling hold after dropping her service earlier.

There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the match despite the blustery conditions and closed out a comfortable victory. The 21-year-old meets Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova, 18, in the next round.

“It was really windy. I knew it wasn’t going to be a clean match with the wind but, overall, I’m really happy with the way I played. It was two different matches depending on what side of the court you are on,” said Gauff, who hit seven double faults.

She played her first Grand Slam final at senior level against Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open, losing in straight sets. A year after that, she won the US Open title.

The American is coming off back-to-back final defeats in both Roland Garros warmup tournaments in Madrid and Rome, losing to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Italy’s Jasmine Paolini respectively.

Fellow title contender Mirra Andreeva also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Spain’s Cristina Bucsa to continue her fine form this season.

The Russian, a surprise semi-finalist in Paris at the age of