Coco Gauff’s down-to-earth nature is a refreshing presence in tennis. At just 21, the American has captivated fans worldwide. She impresses not only with her dominant skills but also with her clever wit and Gen-Z humor. From sharing movie reviews to candid family moments and straightforward opinions on social media, Gauff’s following is massive: 1.8M on Instagram, 365.6K on X, and over 700K on TikTok. Now, at her sixth French Open appearance, she’s bringing that signature humor to Roland Garros—especially after a long wait, thanks to Arthur Fils!

On Thursday, Gauff took down Tereza Valentova in a compelling second-round match. She beat the Czech teenager with a straight-sets win, 6-2, 6-4, in just 75 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen! Gauff, who has made at least the quarter-finals in each of the past four years, benefited from 33 unforced errors by her 18-year-old opponent. Her match was a breeze. But the same couldn’t be said for the previous match between Frenchman Arthur Fils and Jaume Munar!

That match stretched to four hours and 25 minutes. The two locked heads in a five-set battle, resulting in a much longer wait for Coco. When asked about how she passed the time, she said post-match, “Yeah, um, it was weird because Arthur won the first two sets, but they were so long. But I took a nap and, honestly, I was just on TikTok the whole time, watching the match. Obviously, I was rooting for Arthur, so I was like, ‘Come on, man. Finish it!’ And it ended up being five sets, but it’s okay; we both got the win today, so that’s all that matters.”

During his match, the French No. 1 looked firmly in control after clinching two tight tie-breaks. Then, a back injury in the third set threatened to derail everything. At two sets all, Fils could barely move and seemed finished. But down a break in the decider, he fought through the pain. He ramped up the aggression and turned the match around. In the end, he pulled off a thrilling 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 win.

Coming back to Coco Gauff, isn’t it refreshing to see her so nonchalant? Many know of her love for TikTok. She often mentions she’s almost always on the app. She posts exciting tidbits from her life, including GRWM (Get Ready With Me) videos and updates.

In January, when TikTok faced a potential ban in the United States, she said, “I love TikTok, but a ban will force me to read books more; be a more productive human, probably.” But it seems she’s just as content with some good, nonsensical short videos before heading out to compete on a Grand Slam stage!

This comes after another hilarious incident during her opening match! The 21-year-old starlet pulled a Frances Tiafoe after forgetting to bring her rackets to her first-round match against Olivia Gadecki! It turned into quite a funny moment for her to laugh off.

Coco Gauff shows off her forgotten item on her pre-match to-do list!

On Tuesday, May 27, Coco strode onto Court Philippe-Chatrier looking confident—until she reached her bench and realized her rackets were missing. She rifled through her bag, but nothing. Luckily, her team and a quick-thinking ball boy saved the day. Gauff shrugged off the chaos and cruised past Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2 to set up a second-round clash with Tereza Valentova.

Afterwards, Gauff turned her blunder into a viral moment. She posted a handwritten checklist titled “To Do List French Open Round 1,” with the last item, “Put Tennis Racquets in Bag,” left unchecked. “Oops, forgot the last one 😅,” she captioned the post, and fans loved it.

“I thought they put the racquets in the bag,” Gauff admitted during her post-match interview. “My side bag was filled with drinks, so it felt heavy enough. Then I opened the first zipper…nothing. The second zipper…oh my God.” She joked that her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel, usually packs her rackets out of superstition, but this time, he didn’t. “The culprit is not on the box, because he knows that rackets are supposed to be in my bag,” Gauff said. “Honestly, as long as I’ve been on tour, my coach has always put the rackets in the bag before the match, because he is very superstitious, so he likes to grip each racket new each day.”

Coco pointed out she’s not alone in this. Frances Tiafoe did the same thing at Indian Wells. “I literally just made fun of Frances for it in Madrid,” she said, “but now I’ll be quiet.” Despite the mix-up, Gauff’s powerful play showed why she’s the second seed.

Now heading into her third round, she’ll be facing Marie Bouzkova! Will she keep up the momentum of these matches and deliver another straight-set victory? Share your thoughts in the comments below!