Newly minted 2025 French Open champion Coco Gauff saw a short-lived return to the court this week, with the world No. 2 exiting the 2025 Berlin Open in a straight-set, first-match loss on Thursday — Gauff's first contest since winning Roland-Garros.
The 21-year-old US star earned an automatic berth to the second round of the grass-court Wimbledon tune-up tournament, before falling to China's No. 49 Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 in the Round-of-16 matchup.
Gauff visibly struggled in Berlin after her breakthrough victory on clay, tallying 25 unforced errors and seven double faults in the two-set loss.
Despite the stumble, Gauff took this week's setback in stride, acknowledging that her trip to Berlin was "short but sweet" and promising to "come back stronger next year" in a social media post.
"It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court," Gauff wrote. "Tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn't enough. As always, I'm learning as I go so I hope to do better next time."
Seemingly unfazed as she eyes what is arguably her weakest Grand Slam, Gauff will aim to advance past Wimbledon's fourth round for the first time in her career when the London Slam starts later this month.
"I'm excited to get some more practices in to be ready for Wimbledon," she noted.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff earned her second career Grand Slam title on Saturday, taking down No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a windy 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 battle to claim the 2025 French Open trophy.
Having reached the final once before in 2022, the 2025 championship made Gauff the first US player to win the French Open since Serena Williams did so in 2015.
"Losing in the finals here three years ago had created a lot of doubt in my head," the 21-year-old wrote on social media after her Roland Garros victory. "I thought my dreams were so close to happening but would never come true. So to be here…means absolutely everything."
Despite Sabalenka's championship match loss — a performance that saw the 27-year-old commit 70 unforced errors — she will retain the world No. 1 ranking thanks to a generally strong 2025 season so far.
Frustrated with her performance, Sabalenka faced backlash due to her emotional post-match comments on the loss — and, notably, on Gauff's level of play.
She later walked back those words on Sunday, clarifying in an Instagram story that "both things can be true… I didn't play my best, and Coco stepped up and played with poise and purpose. She earned that title."
Gauff, US standout No. 3 Jessica Pegula, and Italy's No. 4 Jasmine Paolini also maintained their WTA positions behind Sabalenka, with French Cinderella story Loïs Boisson skyrocketing 296 spots to No. 65 after her landmark semifinals run.
In contrast, four-time French Open champion Iga Świątek continues to dip, falling from No. 5 to No. 7 after last Thursday's semifinal loss to Sabalenka.
With two of the season's four majors in the books, the US is leading the charge, as Gauff joins reigning Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys as 2025's Grand Slam winners.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff earned a ticket to her third career Grand Slam final on Thursday, advancing to the 2025 French Open championship match by ending French wild-card No. 361 Loïs Boisson's Cinderella story with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 semifinal victory.
"This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that [the crowd] was to be 99% for her, so I was trying to block it out," said the 21-year-old US star. "When [the crowd was] saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself up."
"[Loïs has] shown she's one of the best players in the world," Gauff added about her opponent's remarkable tournament run following their clash. "I hope we have many more battles in the future, especially here. Today it was just my day."
The player standing between the 2023 US Open champ and her second Grand Slam trophy is none other than world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who looked at ease taking down four-time French Open winner No. 5 Iga Świątek 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-0 in the tournament's other semifinal on Thursday.
Notably, the three-set defeat was Świątek's first Roland-Garros loss in an astounding 1,457 days — a 26-match winning streak that dated back to 2021.
The 2025 French Open will now be the third straight Slam in which Sabalenka has reached the final, with the top-ranked tennis star making six WTA title-match appearances in 2025 alone.
Head-to-head, Sabalenka and Gauff have an evenly split 5-5 record.
While Gauff earned her US Open title with a Sabalenka defeat, Sabalenka has the recent edge, snagging wins over Gauff in three of the pair's last four meetings — including May's clay battle in the 2025 Madrid Open final.
How to watch the 2025 French Open final
The world's top two tennis players will square off at the 2025 French Open championship match at 9 AM ET on Saturday, airing live on TNT.
This week's 2025 French Open quarterfinals set up the clay-court Grand Slam's semifinals, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka taking on three-time defending champ No. 5 Iga Świątek while No. 2 Coco Gauff faces wild card No. 361 Loïs Boisson on Thursday.
In Wednesday morning's highly anticipated all-American showdown, Gauff survived a tight 6-7(6) 6-4, 6-1 quarterfinal battle with fellow US star No. 8 Madison Keys to punch her semifinals ticket.
Shortly thereafter, Boisson's historic Cinderella run continued as the 22-year-old French up-and-comer took down heavy favorite No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in straight sets — after pulling off a huge Round of 16 upset of US star No. 3 Jessica Pegula on Monday.
Boisson — the youngest French semifinalist at any Grand Slam in 26 years and the first woman to make the penultimate round in her major tournament debut since 1990 — will leap to at least No. 68 in the next WTA rankings thanks to her Roland-Garros performance.
"I don't think it's a miracle," said Boisson of her unexpected Grand Slam debut. "It's just the result of hard work. Nothing else."
On the other side of the 2025 French Open bracket, both Sabalenka and Świątek cruised through their Tuesday quarterfinal matches to reach Thursday's semis, but their toughest match lies ahead.
Despite beating Sabalenka in five out of six previous meetings on clay, Świątek hasn't reached a major tournament final since her 2024 Roland-Garros win.
"I'm super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win," said Sabalenka about her upcoming date with Świątek.
How to watch the 2025 French Open semifinals
Sabalenka and Świątek will kick off the 2025 French Open semifinals at 9 AM ET on Thursday, with Gauff and Boisson taking the court shortly after the first semi concludes.
Both matches will are live on TNT.
Two US tennis stars are still shining at the 2025 French Open, as world No. 8 Madison Keys and No. 2 Coco Gauff blew through their Round of 16 matches on Monday to set up an all-US quarterfinal showdown on Tuesday.
Gauff dealt No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova a dominant 6-0, 7-5 loss early Monday morning, while 2025 Australian Open champion Keys ended fellow US player No. 70 Hailey Baptiste's French Open run with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat shortly afterward.
"Coco is so good, and especially on clay," Keys said ahead of her upcoming quarterfinal opponent. "She's an unbelievable player and such a great athlete.... I'm looking forward to it and happy to see there will be another American in the semifinals."
Five US women and three men reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros this past weekend, tying the country's 1985 record before Baptiste joined No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 16 Amanda Anisimova on the ousted list.
No US player has won the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015, with both Gauff and Keys shooting for a championship match date against top contenders like No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No. 5 Iga Świątek — winner of four of the last five Parisian Grand Slams.
How to watch the 2025 French Open
Gauff and Keys will battle for a spot in semifinals on Tuesday morning.
The quarterfinals kick off at 5 AM ET, with live coverage on TNT.
A strong US contingent is showing out at the 2025 French Open, with 14 of the country's best tennis stars advancing to Wednesday's second round in Paris.
World No. 2 Coco Gauff headlines a US lineup spanning No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 8 Madison Keys as the WTA's top ranks battle it out for the Grand Slam's $2.9 million prize.
No. 16 Amanda Anisimova is also holding her own, advancing to the third round by downing Switzerland's No. 78 Viktorija Golubic 6-0, 6-2 on Wednesday, while US underdog No. 83 Bernarda Pera upset Croatia's No. 19 Donna Vekić in a three-set tiebreaker to do the same.
Despite her compatriots' success, No. 9 Emma Navarro became the only Top 10 player to crash out early, managing to win just a single game against Spain's No. 68 Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro in their first-round match on Monday.
Heavy-hitters No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 5 Iga Świątek are also cruising along, with Świątek ousting England's No. 41 Emma Raducanu in straight sets on Tuesday morning, while Sabalenka faces Switzerland's No. 97 Jil Teichmann for a second-round battle in the afternoon.
While three-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka is hunting a first Roland-Garros trophy, Świątek already owns four, with the Polish phenom hoping to add to her current streak of three French Open victories — despite her recent struggles on clay.
Should Świątek and Sabalenka continue winning, the pair could collide in next week's semifinals, landing on the same side of the Roland-Garros draw while Gauff and Pegula hold down the other two quadrants.
How to watch the 2025 French Open
Second-round action of the 2025 French Open continues through Thursday before Friday's third round takes the Roland-Garros clay court.
Live coverage of the Grand Slam airs on TNT.
The 2025 Italian Open keeps rolling in Rome through Saturday's finale, with the tournament seeing tennis titans stumble and a wide open Roland-Garros field emerge ahead of the fast-approaching French Open.
Reigning French Open champion and world No. 2 Iga Świątek fell to world No. 35 US star Danielle Collins in a straight-set upset in Saturday's third round — adding to Świątek's mounting 2025 tournament loss tally.
"I just wasn't there — present, you know — to fight and to compete," Świątek said after the match. "I focused on mistakes, and it's my mistake and I'm not doing things right… I'll try to change that."
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka is also focusing ahead on the Paris Grand Slam, after her eight-match winning streak ended in Monday's Round of 16.
A clay specialist with four of the last five French Open titles under her belt, Świątek's recent struggles point to a shifting landscape as the season continues on the tricky surface.
On the other hand, clay title hopes are on the rise for US contender Coco Gauff, whose dominant 6-1, 6-2 Monday victory over 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu advanced the world No. 3 star to face No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in the 2025 Italian Open quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Also showing notable consistency is No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who will face No. 8 Qinwen Zheng in Wednesday's second quarterfinal matchup.
How to watch the 2025 Italian Open
The 2025 Italian Open continues through Saturday, with live coverage on the Tennis Channel.
As tune-up tournaments like this week's 2025 Italian Open dominate tennis ahead of the 2025 French Open, one familiar name is back in the headlines, with world No. 48 Naomi Osaka making significant strides on the clay court.
Coming off her first tournament win since 2021 at L'Open 35 de Saint-Malo — a WTA 125 event — last weekend, Osaka immediately advanced to the Italian Open's third round this week.
The four-time Grand Slam winner has shown glimpses of brilliance after returning from her 2023 pregnancy, with Osaka now aiming to keep up momentum on her historically weakest surface.
"Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst," Osaka posted after her May 4th victory. "That's one of my favorite things about life though, there's always room to grow and evolve."
Osaka isn't the only tennis star cooking in Europe, as heavy-hitters like world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 3 Coco Gauff also moved ahead in Rome as they look to hone their Roland-Garros form.
Not usually a clay court specialist, Sabalenka has looked particularly formidable, defeating Gauff to take the 2025 Madrid Open title just last week.
How to watch the 2025 Italian Open
The 2025 Italian Open's Round of 32 kicks off early Saturday morning, with continuing coverage on The Tennis Channel.
Clay season is in full swing, as the world's top tennis talents hit the court at the 2025 Madrid Open this week, seeking strong performances on the tricky surface before contending in the French Open next month — the clay court's Grand Slam.
The second round of the 2025 Madrid Open kicked off early Thursday morning, with much of the sport's Top 25 hunting the WTA 1000 event's title.
Leading the field is clay specialist Iga Świątek, as the world No. 2 player will look to defend her 2024 Madrid trophy and stir up momentum for the month ahead.
Despite ceding her No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka late last year, Świątek is nearly impossible to beat on clay, with four French Open championships already under her belt.
The 23-year-old, however, is coming off a quarterfinal upset loss to eventual champion No. 18 Jeļena Ostapenko at last week's 2025 Stuttgart Open — a clay-court tournament Świątek's won twice.
That said, Świątek is off to strong start in Madrid, where she defeated No. 72 Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday — enacting revenge on the teen Philippines phenom after Eala defeated her in the 2025 Miami Open final last month.
Gauff seeks 2025 season turnaround on clay
Along with Świątek, other players to watch this week include US favorites No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Coco Gauff, and No. 5 Madison Keys.
Keys and Gauff will begin their 2025 Madrid Open runs on Thursday, while Pegula will start serving in the second wave of the tournament's round of 64 on Friday.
Gauff has seen past success on clay, reaching the French Open final back in 2022 — to face eventual champion Świątek.
The 21-year-old star, however, is in the midst of a particularly frustrating 2025 run, having yet to advance past the quarterfinals of any competition since winning the 2024 WTA Finals.
"I've started to believe that you can just turn it around any week. And just as quickly as you can go on a tear, you can also lose," Gauff said this week.
How to watch the 2025 Madrid Open
The 2025 Madrid Open runs through Saturday, May 3rd. Continuing live coverage will air on the Tennis Channel.
When Coco Gauff faced off against 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia during the third round of the 2023 French Open on Saturday, it marked the first time Gauff, 19, played a Grand Slam singles match against a player younger than herself.
Gauff, the runner-up at last year’s French Open, lost the first set to Andreeva, but rallied back in the next two sets, ultimately winning the match 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-1 to advance to the fourth round, where she’ll face Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
But while much of the media ahead of the match focused on age, that topic wasn’t on Gauff’s mind when she stepped onto the court.
“I was just thinking about playing the opponent,” she said. “To be honest, you don’t really think about (age) as an athlete.”
Asked after if she thinks the media focuses too much on that topic, Gauff smiled.
“I’m gonna be honest: Yes. … Age is important to mention sometimes but, as a player and going through it, yes, it gets a little bit annoying. Because I feel like I’m the type of person, I don’t need to be praised because of my age or anything. I prefer just to be praised because of my game, not because of things I’m doing at whatever age.”
Gauff added that she was baffled the other day when she saw a stat about how she had the most bagels (sets that end 6-0) of any teenager on tour.
“I feel like some of these stats, I don’t know, y’all be finding the smallest details,” she said. “I’m like who keeps track of this stuff?”
Even if Gauff doesn’t put much stock in age, she knows experience plays a role. She credits her years on the tour with helping her learn to control her body language, especially in moments of frustration.
“I didn’t realize how much my body language showed until I started watching the film of me,” Gauff explained. “I’m like, yeah, if I was the other side looking at me, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, this girl is down.'”
At moments during Saturday’s match, Andreeva appeared clearly frustrated, smashing a racket during the first set and later hitting a ball into the crowd. Asked by a reporter about her opponent’s “teenage behavior,” Gauff pushed back.
“It’s just being an athlete and being frustrated, to be honest. People do it at all ages, so I’m not gonna blame it on her age,” she said, noting that smashing a racquets is normal for athletes.
“I mean, you shouldn’t do it, but, you know, it’s part of growing up and part of life. So I’m not gonna sit here and berate her for it. I hope you guys don’t either.”