Coco Gauff may not have delivered her sharpest serving performance at Roland Garros on Tuesday, but the 20-year-old American star still found a way to secure a gritty win in her opening match at the 2025 French Open.
Facing Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, Gauff’s serve was shaky from the start. She struggled to land consistent first serves and produced seven double faults over the course of the match. Despite that, her fighting spirit, aggressive returns, and mental toughness proved to be the difference as she clinched a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Gauff, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, came into the match as a heavy favorite but had to dig deep against the experienced Romanian. Begu capitalized on Gauff’s erratic serving in the second set, breaking her twice and pushing the match into a deciding third set. At one point, Gauff’s first serve percentage dropped below 55%, leaving fans and analysts questioning whether nerves or minor technical issues were at play.
“I definitely didn’t serve my best today,” Gauff admitted during her post-match press conference. “But I told myself to stay aggressive and stay focused on the return games. That’s where I got the edge.”
And she certainly did. Gauff broke Begu five times in the match, with three of those breaks coming in the crucial third set. Her speed around the court and forehand winners down the line helped her take control in the final stretch, much to the relief of her team and the roaring French crowd.
Despite her serving woes, Gauff’s ability to win big points when it mattered most showed how much she has matured as a player. While her 2023 US Open title remains the highlight of her career so far, the young American is now aiming to lift her first French Open trophy—something she’s been dreaming about since her junior days.
“I love playing in Paris,” Gauff said. “The clay is a surface where I feel like I can grind out tough matches. Today was one of those days.”
Gauff will now face Italian up-and-comer Martina Trevisan in the second round. With two days to regroup, she will no doubt be working on ironing out the issues with her serve ahead of what could be another tough test.
Tennis fans and pundits alike are keeping a close eye on Gauff’s path in this year’s French Open. Though she didn’t dominate in her opener, her resilience and ability to adapt mid-match is what champions are made of. As she continues through the draw, she’ll need both her trademark intensity and a more reliable serve to go deep into the tournament.
For now, Gauff survives and advances—and sometimes, that’s all you need in the early rounds of a Grand Slam.
