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Gauff falls to Potapova
Defending champion Coco Gauff’s French Open title defense ended Saturday in the third round when Anastasia Potapova beat the American 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
“- Published Defending champion Coco Gauff is the latest big name to exit the French Open after a third-round defeat by Anastasia Potapova”
NBC News said Potapova ended Gauff’s run after a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory, and Potapova told reporters, “Coco is such a champion. I respect her so much,”.
The match was played before mostly empty stands inside Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans stayed away to watch the Champions League soccer final, and the New York Times described the scenes as “wide swaths of empty wooden seats.”
NBC News reported Potapova improved to 3-2 in her career against Gauff, and it said Gauff hit three double-faults to Potapova’s eight while Potapova controlled more in longer rallies.
The Globe and Mail also placed the result in the same third-round frame, saying Potapova “ended Gauff’s French Open title defence in the third round” with the same 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 score.
Quotes and match framing
After the upset, Potapova said, “I’m unbelievably proud of myself as well that I stayed there, that I’ve been fighting for the last point and here I am,” as NBC News described her comeback from Gauff’s early momentum.
The WTA Tennis account similarly quoted Potapova saying, “It [was] such a fight from both of us,” and it added that she was “happy that I stayed until the last moment that I’ve been fighting for every point and that I got through.”
The Independent framed the result as a “shock upset,” noting that Potapova secured a 4-6 7-6(1) 6-4 victory and that the match featured a decider after trading breaks.
NBC News reported that Gauff’s serve was inconsistent and that the match unfolded while a spectator was carried out on a stretcher during Naomi Osaka’s earlier win, and it said the heat was expected to break for Sunday and the second week.
The New York Times described Gauff’s view of the loss as a repeat of earlier clay-court disappointments, quoting her: “Not good,” she said in a news conference.
What comes next
Potapova’s win set up a fourth-round meeting with 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya, which The Independent said will be her next opponent after the 4-6 7-6(1) 6-4 result.
“You can imagine how disappointed you must have been to bow out in the third round”
NBC News reported that the 30th-ranked Potapova, born in Russia but now representing Austria, improved to 3-2 against Gauff and that she was having “quite a clay season” after reaching a final in Linz, Austria, and the semifinals of the Madrid Open as a qualifier.
In the same tournament window, NBC News said Naomi Osaka beat 18-year-old Iva Jovic 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4 in her 100th Grand Slam match to set up a round-of-16 meeting with top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.
The Irish Times added that Potapova’s victory put her “on course to win her maiden Grand Slam title,” and it described her as targeting Gauff’s wobbly serve after breaking to love in the opening game.
NBC News also noted that heat and humidity continued for the seventh straight day, with the temperature rising to 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), and it said the heat was expected to break for Sunday and the second week.
