It’s the year of the upset at Roland-Garros.
The 2026 French Open has been defined by stunning results, and the women’s draw experience one of its biggest so far on Saturday when reigning champion Coco Gauff fell to Anastasia Potapova in three sets, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Per ESPN, the third-round exit is Gauff’s earliest at Roland-Garros since her debut run in 2020. She had reached the quarterfinals in five consecutive tournaments.
Coco Gauff upset in third round as French Open defense falls short
Following the loss, Gauff lamented, “I don’t think I played the way I wanted to in the crucial moments.” After rallying to win the first set and then again to take 6-5 lead in the second, Gauff stumbled, losing the set via tiebreak, 7-1. Later, she served to keep the match alive, but her shot off of Potapova’s return went errant, prematurely ending Gauff’s run in Paris.
The result means that for the first time since 2021, there won’t be a repeat champion in the women’s draw. That year, Barbora Krejcikova won her only (to this point) grand slam, followed by Iga Swiatek reclaiming her crown and winning three straight (2022-24).
Seeded third in this year’s event, Swiatek has a strong chance of winning her fifth French Open, which would break a tie with Justine Henin for most in the women’s tournament this century. But if Swiatek falters before the finish line, Roland-Garros would have a first-time winner in both the men’s and women’s draw for the first time in 10 years, when Novak Djokovic and Gabine Muguruza each won their first Coups des Mousquetaires and Coups Suzanne-Lenglen, respectively.
Gauff’s loss fits with the overarching theme of this year’s tournament, where we’ve come to expect the unexpected. Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Ben Shelton are among the highly-ranked men who’ve lost early, while Elina Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova and Karolina Muchova are among the top 10 seeds in the women’s draw to exit before the second weekend.
Based on a wild first seven days at Roland-Garros, more could soon follow.