Tennis

Coco Gauff Vs Marie Bouzkova, Roland Garros: Second Seed Wins In Straight Sets To Reach Last 16

Coco Gauff's victory means she has now reached at least the round of 16 at seven successive Grand Slams, a run that began with her 2023 US Open triumph

Coco Gauff celebrates her win over Marie Bouzkova
Coco Gauff celebrates her win over Marie Bouzkova
info_icon

Coco Gauff beat Marie Bouzkova in straight sets to advance to the last 16 of the French Open, where she will face Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Having beaten Olivia Gadecki and Tereza Valentova in straight sets in the opening two rounds of the tournament, Gauff needed 78 minutes to down Bouzkova 6-1 7-6 (7-3).

The former US Open champion raced through the opening set in less than half an hour, breaking Bouzkova at the first attempt then backing it up with another break in game six.

Gauff did not lose a single point on her first serve in the opening set, with Bouzkova only winning three points against the serve overall.

However, Gauff's service game tailed off badly in the second set, which featured eight straight breaks after Bouzkova held in the opening game.

But two love service games allowed Gauff to take the set the distance, and she became more aggressive in the tie-break, claiming six of the first eight points.

Gauff squandered her first two match point opportunities, but it was third time lucky as she teed up a last-16 meeting with Alexandrova, who overcame Veronika Kudermetova 6-2 6-2 in the third round.

Gauff's fellow American, the reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, also advanced to the last 16 with a 4-6 6-3 7-5 win over Sofia Kenin.

Victories for Keys and Gauff mean all the top-eight seeded players in the women's draw have reached the fourth round.

It is the first time that has occurred at any grand slam since the 2005 Australian Open, and the first time it has happened at Roland-Garros since 2003.

Thirty-year-old Keys, meanwhile, is the oldest woman to win 10 consecutive grand slam matches since Serena Williams, who won 16 in a row between the Australian Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2018.

Data Debrief: Consistent Coco

Gauff's victory means she has now reached at least the last 16 at seven successive Grand Slams, a run that began with her 2023 US Open triumph.

The 21-year-old is the youngest American woman to achieve that feat since Venus Williams did so at nine straight majors between the 1997 US Open and the 2000 Australian Open.

Williams' run began when she was just 17 years old and ended shortly before she turned 20, missing the Melbourne Park slam due to injury.

×