Second seed Coco Gauff stormed into the French Open quarterfinals on Monday, defeating Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5 to stay on track for her maiden Roland Garros title.
The 21-year-old American looked unstoppable in the opening set, racing to a 5-0 lead in just 15 minutes and dropping only five points before sealing a dominant bagel. Gauff overwhelmed her opponent from the baseline, using her superior movement and clay-court comfort to full effect.
“The whole match I thought I played well,” Gauff said. “She definitely stepped up in the second set, but overall I stayed solid. I’m really comfortable moving on clay—it’s the most physical surface, and that plays to my strengths.”
Alexandrova, 30, was bidding to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and showed greater resistance in the second set, capitalizing on some unforced errors from Gauff and even going up 5-4 after breaking back.
But Gauff, showing maturity beyond her years, kept her composure. She broke again at 5-5 and closed out the match on serve to secure her place in the last eight for the third straight year.
The 2022 runner-up will next face the winner of the all-American clash between Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste.
