Sixth-seeded Coco Gauff overcame a rough start to record a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Spain’s Rebeka Masarova on Tuesday to reach the second round of the French Open in Paris.
Errors plagued Gauff in the early going, with Masarova winning the match’s first three games en route to capturing the opening set. Gauff, however, snapped a 1-1 tie in the second set by winning seven straight games.
A surprise finalist in Paris one year ago, Gauff ended the match in 1 hour, 46 minutes.
“Paris is my favorite city in the world,” Gauff said in her on-court interview. “And it’s not because of my results here. It’s been my favorite city since I first came here when I was 10 years old, and I just look forward to coming here. I love the French people. I know some people don’t like you guys, but I love you guys. I always defend you.”
Gauff’s win set up a second-round clash against Julia Grabher. The Austrian posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands.
Also on Tuesday, seventh-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia claimed a 6-4, 6-1 win over Italian Lucia Bronzetti in 70 minutes.
Jabeur benefitted from striking 27 winners, although her 24 unforced errors admittedly were troublesome as she continues to find her rhythm following injuries this season.
“It was a very difficult period for me after Stuttgart,” said Jabeur, who dealt with a “small tear” in her left calf that forced her to retire in that tournament. She then pulled out of Madrid and returned to action in Rome with an opening loss to Paula Badosa of Spain.
Jabeur advanced to the second round to face Oceane Dodin, who seized a 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over fellow Frenchwoman Selena Janicijevic.
Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko posted a 6-2, 6-2 win over 13th-seeded Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.
Frenchwoman Diane Parry notched a 6-2, 6-3 win over 25th-seeded Anhelina Kalinina of the Ukraine, while China’s Xinyu Wang secured a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over 31st-seeded Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.
–Field Level Media
