Coco Gauff Breathes New Vision Into American Dream With Unexpected Shift at French Open

“Obviously, the goal is to win the French Open, but that’s every season for any top player. Your goals should be to try to win the big tournaments,” Coco Gauff declared last year, just before the Stuttgart Open. However, her 2024 clay campaign ended in heartbreak, with semifinal exits in Italy and Paris, both halted by the indomitable Iga Swiatek. But 2025 tells a different story. Gauff arrived in Paris riding high on the back-to-back finalist wave from Madrid and Rome, and she’s already powered her way into the quarterfinals. Yet, the American sensation is dreaming big, not just of her Roland Garros glory, but of an all-American showdown for the crown. Wondering what she said?

Yesterday, 2nd seed Coco Gauff held off a spirited comeback from 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova to secure her place in a fifth straight Roland Garros QF with a 6-0, 7-5 win in just 1 hour and 22 minutes. At 21, Coco becomes the fourth-youngest player in the Open Era to achieve such consistency in Paris, following in the footsteps of legends like Martina Hingis, Stefanie Graf, and Conchita Martínez.

Since her second-round exit in her French Open debut in 2020, Gauff has reached at least the quarterfinals each year, including a runner-up finish in 2022. Yet, records aside, her eyes are firmly set on both WTA and ATP glory in Paris.

Speaking with the “Tennis Channel” following her latest win, Coco Gauff opened up about the strong camaraderie among the American players at Roland Garros. When host Prakash Amritraj asked her whether the WTA and ATP sides cross paths and support one another, the former US champion responded warmly. “We’re all like seeing each other through the in the player’s area and rooting for each other, making comments to each other, mostly good stuff,” she said.

Gauff also expressed pride in the American men still standing at the French Open and shared her hope for a historic moment of dual triumph. “It’s great to see them doing so well and I think we’re in good hands and hopefully you know one day we can get one of those guys lifting the big one and you know it’ll be really cool to at the same time for one of us to win on the women’s singles, I think that women’s and men that would be pretty cool,” she reflected.

To be honest, while the American women, led by Gauff, are making a strong showing, the ATP side has seen mixed results overall. Taylor Fritz bowed out in the 1st round, a major upset early in the tournament. Despite a promising push from Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe into the 4th round, only Paul and Tiafoe advanced to the QF after Shelton fell to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

The challenge now intensifies, as both Paul and Tiafoe are set to take the court today. Paul will face a daunting matchup against Alcaraz, while Tiafoe will battle Lorenzo Musetti. With both men in action, the nation holds its breath in hopes of an all-American SF in the French capital, a rare and much-needed resurgence on the men’s side.

Meanwhile, Coco Gauff continues her record-setting journey in Paris. She marches into yet another QF while dreaming of a true all-American triumph at Roland Garros.

Coco Gauff Matches Venus Williams’ 24-Year French Open Record

Coco Gauff has now reached her 9th GS quarterfinal overall, continuing her impressive form in 2025. After going 13-5 on hard courts in the first 3 months of the year, she has found even greater rhythm on clay. With a 15-3 record this season on the surface, including back-to-back finals appearances in Madrid and Rome, Gauff has firmly established herself as a serious contender on clay.

In her latest match yesterday, Gauff dominated the 1st set against Ekaterina Alexandrova with a 6-0 sweep. Though her opponent raised her level in the 2nd, Gauff stayed composed, converting five of her nine break points while Alexandrova managed just one of nine. The 21-year-old’s win marks her as the youngest player (21 years, 73 days) to reach 5 or more women’s singles quarterfinals at a GS since Venus Williams achieved the feat in 2001.

Later, reflecting on her performance and her comfort on the surface, Gauff said, “Yeah, it was tough I played well the whole match but she stepped up in the second set. Overall I thought played great. I move well on clay, I’m comfortable with sliding and moving on the surface, this is the most physical surface and I do well in that department.”

Now, the 2nd seed is set for an all-American clash against Madison Keys, with an SF berth on the line. With both players in top form, it promises to be a thrilling encounter on the Parisian clay. Who are you rooting for?

The post Coco Gauff Breathes New Vision Into American Dream With Unexpected Shift at French Open appeared first on EssentiallySports.