Gauff eases past qualifier Avdeeva in French Open first round

Coco Gauff made a strong start to her bid for a first French Open title, defeating German world number 208 Julia Avdeeva 6-1 6-1 in the first round on a rainy Monday at Roland Garros for her 50th Grand Slam victory.

The 20-year-old Gauff, who won the U.S. Open last year to break her Grand Slam drought after losing the 2022 final in Paris, needed less than an hour to advance, despite the fact that the match was briefly halted when Avdeeva accidentally bumped her head against the umpire's while contesting a point.

"Today was kind of a straightforward match. I didn't have to do much. I wouldn't say I played amazing. I just had to play solid today. That's what I did," Gauff told reporters.

Avdeeva was making her Grand Slam debut in Paris, and Gauff said she could feel her opponent's anxiety on the second showcourt.

"I do think she was a little bit nervous with the bigger court, but I played well too," Gauff said.

In the second round, world number three American Gauff will face Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek, who made the semi-finals of the French Open in 2021 and defeated Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck 6-2 2-6 6-1 on Sunday.

"She's definitely a fighter. I think she has, you know, good ball tolerance, she can make a lot of balls in the court, pretty good mover. So it's going to be a tough match," Gauff said.

SportsLigue