Knock Out! Potapova Dethrones Gauff for Roland Garros Fourth Round Return

By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, May 30, 2026
Photo credit: Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty

Grand Slam stress took Anastasia Potapova to painful places in the past.

Two points from defeat in the second set today, Potapova was in no mood for more major scar tissue.

A defiant Potapova roared back from 1-3 down in the decider, roaring through five of the last six games to dethrone defending champion Coco Gauff 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-4 in the Roland Garros third round today.

“I had chances.,” Gauff said. “I think just trying to capitalize more on these good points that I’m hitting and not quite finishing, yeah, I think that was the difference, that she was able to finish the points and I wasn’t.”

A wildly unpredictable Roland Garros rolls on.

A day after Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic lost a two-set lead in a Grand Slam for just the second time in his storied career bowing to a fierce Joao Fonseca, Gauff let her lead slip and squandered a 30-Love advantage dropping four points in a row and her crown in the process.

It is the earliest exit by a reigning Roland Garros women’s champion since Barbora Krjecikova bit the dust in the 2022 opening round. It’s the first time in five years Gauff has lost in Paris to a player not named Iga Swiatek.

A gutted Gauf saw her nine-match Paris winning streak snapped, suffering her earliest exit at the French Open since her 2020 debut.

“I think just I feel like I lost the same way in Rome as I did here, which is not good, I think,” Gauff said. “I don’t know. You never want to lose the same way back-to-back times, and I did, and I feel like also in
Madrid, it was a similar thing, losing the same way.

“It’s one thing to lose, but I think today… I competed, like, I fought my hardest, but I don’t think I
played the way I wanted to in the crucial moments.”

Contesting her 25th major, Potapova will play 22nd-seeded Anna Kalinskaya with a trip to her maiden major quarterfinal on the line.

Court Philippe Chatrier was a doom domicile for American women today.

US Open and Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova lost to 92nd-ranked Frenchwoman Diane Parry 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) in a draining two hour, 44-minute duel that preceded Potapova’s upset of Gauff.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros)

Though the Gauff serve is often under the microscope after a major loss—she hit only three double faults today though one game in the final game—her backhand betrayed her at times today.

Credit Potapova for frequently standing toe-to-toe with Gauff in backhand exchanges—and winning many of those rallies. Facing one of the premier backhands in the game, Potapova pounded 19 backhand winners compared to one for Gauff, who showed some reluctance to step in and bang her backhand with vigor when things got tight. In fact, deadlocked at 30-all in the last game, Gauff tried to feather a backhand drop shot rather than blast her backhand and paid the price as Potapova easily ran it down and ripped off a winner.

Though this result is not a shocker given Potapova had split four prior meetings with Gauff and took the court tied with Marta Kostyuk for most clay-court wins this year, it is surprising how Gauff’s title defense ultimately unraveled. 

The fourth-seeded Gauff was two points from victory holding a 6-4, 6-5 lead on Potapova’s serve at 30-all.

A fearless Potapova pounded a backhand winner down the line hammering out a pressure-packed hold to force the tiebreaker.  Drawing errors from Gauff’s typically strong two-hander, Potapova breezed through the breaker to level the match and force a final set ratcheting up the pressure on the defending champion.

The feisty Potapova began this year’s clay court season at Linz ranked No. 97. Scoring her ninth career Top 10 win to reach the French Open fourth round for the second time propels Potapova to No. 26 in the WTA Live Rankings. 

The 25-year-old Potapova, who was born in Russia but became an Austrian citizen in the offseason and now represents Austria,  is the second woman to knock off the reigning champion in the third round after Maria Kirilenko, who stunned Svetlana Kuznetsova in the 2010 third round.

In an ideal start, Potapova ran off six straight points to start breaking for a 2-0 lead. 

Why is Potapova such a nemesis for Gauff? Potapova is quick around the court, one of the few women who can run with Gauff, she can hang with the two-time major champion in backhand rallies, can flatten out her forehand with more conviction and has shown a more stable serve beating Gauff three times in five meetings.

Controlling play, Potapova was hammering her forehand crosscourt in building a 4-2 lead. The Russian-born Potapova, who now represents Austria, was on the verge of a double break 5-2 lead. 

The champion refused to crack. 

Gauff slashed an ace to save the first break point then withstood a a pulsating rally—the longest of the match—to erase the second break point and dodge a deep deficit.

Saving those two break points to hold for 3-4 ignite Gauff, who streaked through four games in a row to snatch the set.

Dashing left, a sliding Gauff was in the doubles alley when she snapped a pin-point backhand pass crosscourt for triple set point on Potapova’s serve. 

Potapova floated her third double fault dumping serve at love to end a 44-minute first set that felt like two distinctly disparate sets.

Controlling play, Potapova built that 4-2 lead and was on the verge of a double break 5-2 lead. Saving those two break points to hold for 3-4 ignite Gauff, who streaked through four games in a row to snatch the set.

Resetting, Potapova was dictating play cranking up her forehand and the volume of her grunts. 

In a wildly extreme second set, Potapova torched a crosscourt forehand for triple break point then drew a Gauff error breaking for 4-1.

Extending her lead to 5-2, Potapova earned two set points in the eight game, but could not close. Gauff smacked a backhand return down the line to erase the second set point then sent a forehand into the body breaking back for 3-5.

Potapova broke the champion four times in a row until Gauff held at 15 for 4-5.

Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff ran off four games in a row pulling ahead 6-5.

Credit Potapova, who was barking at her box in frustration, with refocusing. Draining errors from Gauff’s typically rock-solid backhand, Potapova charged through the tiebreaker and sealed the second set when Gauff netted a forehand off her back foot.

The world No. 30 left the court for a clothing change.

The Delray Beach-born baseliner followed a forehand forward and banged a bounce smash for two break points. Gauff broke for 2-1 then spun a forehand pass down the line for 3-1.

Exploiting a Gauff double fault gave Potapova break point in the sixth game.

The new Austrian’s backhand down the line was a key stroke in this match. Potapova dropped to a low crouch bending a backhand strike down the line to break back for 3-all.

Holding double break point in the next game, Gauff surprisingly netted a backhand sitter on break point. That costly miss gave Potapova reprieve and she later rapped another backhand down the line holding for 4-3 after two hours, 21 minutes.

Rallying from 15-30 down, Potapova drew a forehand error and raised her arms after a hard-fought hold for 5-4.

Pressure seeded clouds of doubt in the two-time Rome runner-up.

Though Gauff went up 30-Love in the 10th game, she double faulted to fall to 30-all.

In a shot selection moment she will likely rue, Gauff set up for her two-handed and went for the low-percentage leaping backhand drop shot. Potapova ran it down routinely and torched a two-handed backhand down the line for match point.

The fourth seed jerked a wild forehand long ending her Roland Garros reign as Potapova crashed to the court in triumph.

When Potapova rose to her feet, she eventually spent time icing her right arm afterward sharing she was trying to cool down cramps that struck her right arm down the stretch.