Coco Gauff endured a rather eventful morning in Paris on her way to the French Open venue. The American opened her title defense against compatriot Taylor Townsend on Tuesday, May 26. The match itself was pretty straightforward, as she dismissed Townsend in one hour and 22 minutes with a 6-4, 6-0 score. But an unexpected car mishap disrupted her travel, forcing her to resort to the tournament’s transport ahead of the match.
Coco Gauff Calls Car Mishap During French Open a ‘Good Omen’
While Gauff was traveling to Stade Roland Garros for her debut match on Tuesday, her car rammed into a retractable bollard after miscommunication with the cops. She narrated the bizarre incident during her TNT Sports interview.
“We kind of got into a mini car accident on my way to the site today. So, there’s like this pole thing, and it’s supposed to go down, and the police told him (the driver) to go, and the pole was still there, so we ran into it,” she explained, laughing.
While everyone inside was unharmed, the car itself was significantly damaged, according to the player. “You felt a little impact; I spilled my juice all over the car. And I was like, ‘We can keep going.’ Then I walk out of the car, and the car is not drivable.”
Coco Gauff considered the incident a “good omen” ahead of her title defense. “So we end up taking a taxi to Jean Bouin, and then we took the tournament car to the tournament. I feel like it’s a good omen, maybe.”
Gauff, seeded fourth at the French Open, is placed in the top half of the draw, which includes Aryna Sabalenka. The American was allotted a day-session spot on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday, following Sabalenka’s match against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Stefanos Tsitsipas’ match against local hope Alexandre Müller. While Sabalenka secured a straight-sets victory, Tsitsipas’ match ended prematurely, as he advanced to the second round through Müller’s retirement.
Gauff pointed out the peculiar moments that followed her road mishap. “Everything happening in my first round. And then the retirement happened (Alexandre Müller’s). And then right before I got on court, my dress got stuck. So my physio was in the bathroom trying to help me take it off. It was an eventful day. But I feel whenever that happens, it lets you not think about the match too much.”
Coco Gauff says she was in a car accident on the way to her #RolandGarros match today 😮
Everyone is ok, but Coco spilt her juice 😅 pic.twitter.com/UWp4f46GlJ
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) May 26, 2026
Gauff, who was unsuccessful in defending her 2023 US Open title, is actively trying not to pressure herself with title defense expectations as she chases her second French Open trophy and her third Grand Slam overall.
The American has yet to win a title this year, but she is one of the favorites to win the clay Slam alongside the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Świątek. Just like last year, Gauff enters the tournament after a runner-up campaign at the Italian Open.
