Coco Gauff is taking aim at a third career Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open.
Seeded fourth for the defence of her title, the 22-year-old American is the defending champion having come from behind to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4 in last year’s final on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In doing so, she won her second major, and her first since her inaugural win at the US Open in 2023.
But she doesn’t enter the tournament as the favorite, with four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina all favored ahead of Gauff.
Coco Gauff at 2026 French Open
Gauff knows what her path to reclaiming glory will be and the world no. 4 began the defense of her title with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Up next is the Egyptian Mayar Sherif, who proved too strong for Hungary’s Dalma Galfi in the first round – coming through 7-5, 6-4 in just under two hours.
The world no.129 had to battle her way through qualifying, coming through three rounds before her date with Galfi.
Gauff and Sherif have only met once before, back in 2023 at the Cincinnati Open where Gauff won 6-2, 6-2 on her way to the title – her first at 1000 level.
The pair will meet on Thursday, in the third match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen .
Her projected third-round opponent is an in-form Anastasia Potapova, fresh off the back of a semi-final appearance at the Mutua Madrid Open, or England’s Katie Boulter.
Should Gauff progress as deep as the quarter-final stages, she could yet come up against Amanda Anisimova, who has missed the entire clay-court season with injury, while a rematch against Sabalenka could only occur at the semi-final stage.
How is Coco Gauff playing?
So far this season it’s been a case of near misses for Gauff who is yet to win her first title of the year.
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After losing to Sabalenka in the final of the Miami Open in March, she reached the final of the Italian Open, losing 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6 to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
While the narrative will frame Gauff as entering this year’s French Open aiming to defend her title, the American star has a completely different perspective, and is taking the pressure off of her own shoulders.
“I realize that the ‘defending’ means nothing in a way,” Gauff said. “I don’t really look at it as defending anymore.”
This comes after she was eliminated in the fourth round of the 2024 US Open after racking up 19 double faults in the loss in her first attempt at ‘defending’ a Grand Slam.
“At the US Open, I was like, ‘I need to defend, defend.’ When you’re playing a tournament that you didn’t win, what is it called?” Gauff said recently in Rome.
“That’s why I just say now it’s just another tournament: ‘I won it last year. I’ll try again to do it this year.’ I’m not going to be able to defend every year. I’m not Rafa.”
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Of course, she is referring to the great Rafael Nadal, whose 14 French Open titles during his career saw him earn the nickname of the ‘King of Clay’.
Top ten women’s seeds
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elena Rybakina
- Iga Swiatek
- Coco Gauff
- Jessica Pegula
- Amanda Anisimova
- Elina Svitolina
- Mirra Andreeva
- Victoria Mboko
- Karolína Muchova
“There’s a lot of positives I can take from this tournament and a lot I can learn from,” Gauff said after losing the final in Rome to Svitolina on May 16.
“This week I experienced all the ups and downs of a tournament…I’ve been down, had the lead, lost the lead, I’ve been in the final, been down match point.
“I think I’ve experienced every scenario that can prepare me for Roland Garros. Hopefully I can actually learn from each scenario and do better.”
Where to watch 2026 French Open
The 2026 French Open will be available to watch on TNT Sports in North America and in the United Kingdom, with the network entering its second year covering the tournament.
This means tennis fans can watch the tournament across multiple channels and digital platforms including that of TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Bleacher Report, and House of Highlights.
TNT’s broadcast booth will feature a plethora of tennis greats, including that of John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Lindsay Davenport, and Venus Williams, who will also be participating in the doubles event alongside Hailey Baptiste.
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Additionally, Caroline Wozniacki, Patrick McEnroe, Chris Eubanks, Sloane Stephens, CoCo Vandeweghe, Sam Querrey and Mary Joe Fernandez will be involved.
Former world No. 5 and Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard will also join the network’s coverage as an on-site contributor, while John Isner will be part of both studio and match coverage.
“This talented lineup for Roland Garros will deliver an energetic blend of authenticity, credibility, and personality to every moment of this iconic major,” Craig Barry, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of TNT Sports said.
“In our second year, we will continue to push the coverage delivering a presentation that’s as dynamic and distinctive as the event itself.”
Full schedule for 2026 French Open
- Sunday, May 24 to Tuesday, May 26 – Men’s and women’s singles first round
- Wednesday, May 27 to Thursday, May 28 – Men’s and women’s singles second round
- Friday, May 29 to Saturday, May 30 – Men’s and women’s singles third round
- Sunday, May 31 to Monday, June 1 – Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
- Tuesday, June 2 to Wednesday, June 3 – Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
- Thursday, June 4 – Women’s singles semi-finals
- Friday, June 5 – Men’s singles semi-finals
- Saturday, June 6 – Women’s singles final
- Sunday, June 7 – Men’s singles final
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