Coco Gauff isn’t letting a hard-fought defeat in Rome dull her mood as she heads to Paris for another chance at Grand Slam glory. Although she came up short in the Italian Open final a few days ago, the 21-year-old American was all smiles and set for work as soon as she arrived at Roland Garros.
Coco Gauff Set for Her Sixth Main Draw Appearance at Roland Garros
The World No. 4 arrives in Paris on the back of a solid clay-court campaign. Earlier this month, she made the Madrid Open final before she was outclassed by top seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. In Rome, she had a first-round bye in the draw. She dominated her way past Victoria Mboko, Magda Linette, Emma Raducanu, Mirra Andreeva, and Zheng Qinwen to advance to the final again. But her run was halted by sixth seed Jasmine Paolini, who, encouraged by the support of the crowd, defeated Gauff 6-4, 6-2.
There were still many positives to take from her Italian Open campaign, such as a doubles venture with Alexandra Eala. The pair made it to the quarterfinals before losing to the Italian pair of Paolini and Sara Errani in three sets.
Gauff’s commitment and upbeat attitude have not gone unnoticed. The official Roland Garros X account posted images of her training in Paris. Wearing practice gear, the 2023 US Open champion looked set to put the Rome heartbreak behind her and grab the new challenge.
Coco is in 👋#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/ReGVUWHJ1r
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 20, 2025
Gauff first appeared in the French Open main draw in 2020, where she made it to the second round before losing to Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan. She has been improving steadily at Roland Garros ever since, making it to the quarterfinals in 2021 and 2023, to the semifinals in 2024, and as runner-up in 2022 after losing to Iga Swiatek in the final.
Coco Gauff Breaks Silence After Crushing Loss in Rome Final
During her post-match press conference following the Italian Open final, Coco Gauff said she was proud to have made back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome. However, she admitted she was disappointed with how she played against Paolini.
“Definitely proud of the two results, but also disappointed. It’s a bittersweet feeling. Jasmine played great tennis today. Unfortunately, I felt like I didn’t bring my best, which I knew I needed today. Overall, a lot to look forward to in Paris,” she said.
“It’s not to discredit my opponent. She forced me to play that way. Yeah, maybe I could have served better and put more balls in the court, could play better. I definitely could and can. But she played to win today, and she deserved to win,” she added.