French Open 2026: Sabalenka and Gauff Advance Despite Early Challenges
In an exciting second-round match at the French Open, top seed Aryna Sabalenka faced a tough challenge but managed to defeat France’s Elsa Jacquemot with a score of 7-5, 6-2, securing her spot in the third round at Roland Garros. Coco Gauff also fought through some early nerves to win against Mayar Sherif and move on in the tournament.
Upsets and Victories at Roland Garros
The day saw plenty of surprises, yet both the defending champion and the world number one kept their cool and delivered solid performances. Sabalenka initially struggled against Jacquemot, ranked 67th in the world. The two players stayed even at 5-5 in the first set, with Jacquemot matching Sabalenka shot for shot.
Late in the set, Sabalenka found her groove, holding her serve to take a 6-5 lead before breaking Jacquemot’s serve in the next game to win the set. After that, she dominated the second set, breaking Jacquemot’s serve three times to claim victory in straight sets.
Next up for Sabalenka is a matchup against former world number eight Daria Kasatkina, who won her second-round match against Susan Bandecchi. This will be a rematch of their ongoing rivalry, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head record 7-2.
Gauff’s Steady Performance Continues
Coco Gauff also made it through to the third round, defeating qualifier Mayar Sherif by a score of 6-3, 6-2. Although Gauff displayed confidence throughout most of the match, her serve had a few hiccups. She managed to break Sherif’s serve early in both sets, but the qualifier fought back each time.
Eventually, Gauff found her rhythm, breaking Sherif again for a 5-3 lead in the first set, then serving it out. The second set saw a similar dynamic, with Sherif leveling the score at 2-2 after Gauff had broken her serve twice. However, Gauff steadied herself and secured crucial breaks in the fifth and seventh games to finalize her win.
Now, Gauff will await the outcome of the match between 28th seed Anastasia Potapova and Britain’s Katie Boulter to find out who she will face in the next round.
Stay tuned for more updates as the French Open continues to unfold!
