Coco Gauff has been working with her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel, for over 2 years. She had won the 2025 French Open title under his guidance and has also maintained her place in the top 5 on the WTA rankings. Faurel understands the game very well, as he was a professional player in the past, reaching a career-high singles ranking of No. 140. Now, his nephew, Thomas Faurel, is also making waves in the tennis world and has achieved a remarkable milestone at the ongoing Roland Garros.

Faurel has made it to the main draw of the Grand Slam after winning three consecutive qualifying matches. Ranked No. 382, he wasn’t expected to get past the qualifiers, but he has proved all his doubters wrong. Another reason there were few expectations for Faurel was his underwhelming form in Challenger events. The 20-year-old has not dropped a set across three qualifying matches.

Faurel had commenced his French Open campaign against Genaro Alberto Olivieri. The first set went to a tiebreaker, where the Frenchman came out on top before he also clinched the second set to record a 7-6, 6-3 victory. He then met Jay Clarke in the second qualifying round, where another straight-set victory followed.

Despite Clarke’s ranking advantage (No. 199 vs. No. 382), Faurel advanced 6-4, 6-3. It was another solid display from the youngster as he reached the final round of qualifying. Faurel was drawn against World No. 111, Dalibor Svrcina in the next match.

Even though he was clearly the underdog, the Frenchman managed to secure a place in the main draw with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 win. He took control of the rallies from the get-go and established a convincing 4-0 lead in the first set. Svrcina wouldn’t be able to erase the large deficit and lost the first set comprehensively.

With the crowd at the Suzanne-Lenglen behind him, Faurel accelerated towards the victory and broke his opponent’s serve on multiple occasions once again. He went on to clinch the victory in an hour and 22 minutes, qualifying for his first-ever main draw at a Grand Slam.

Notably, Faurel also became the second-youngest Frenchman to reach the main draw at the French Open this century. He is second to Laurent Lokoli, who had achieved the feat at the age of 19 years and 7 months in the 2014 edition of the Grand Slam. Lokoli never reached another Grand Slam main draw. Faurel’s path forward will test whether his youth and qualifying success translates to tour depth.

While Jean-Christophe Faurel would be very happy with his nephew’s performance at Roland Garros, he will be a little worried about Gauff’s title defense, as she has been given a tough draw.

Coco Gauff faces a difficult French Open draw as Aryna Sabalenka’s threat looms

Gauff has had a decent clay swing so far, with her best performance coming at the Italian Open. She had made it to the final for the second consecutive year, but came up short once again, this time to Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian triumphed 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 to bag her second title of the year.

Gauff is still in the hunt for her first singles title and will be aiming to end her wait by winning the French Open for the third time. She will begin her title defense with a clash against compatriot Taylor Townsend. Notably, the latter had gotten the better of Gauff in their only meeting, which came back at the 2019 Charleston Open. So, this match can be a tricky one for the World No. 4.

A victory here would see Gauff potentially face Dalma Galfi in the second round. Though the two have never faced each other in a tour-level match before, the American will still be the favorite to win the match. If she gets past this round, then Anastasia Potapova could be her potential opponent in the next match.

The Russian has had a solid clay-court season, with a runner-up finish at the Linz Open and a semifinal appearance in Madrid. Potapova has also claimed victory over Gauff in their previous two meetings, and the H2H record is currently tied at 2-2. Their clash at the French Open could definitely go down to the wire.

If Gauff advances, then she can potentially face World No. 14, Ekaterina Alexandrova, in the fourth round. The American will be the favorite to win this match, as she leads 4-1 in the H2H, and her opponent has a dismal 1-4 record on clay this year. The two had met at last year’s French Open as well, and it was Gauff who had triumphed 6-0, 7-5.

Amanda Anisimova could turn out to be Gauff’s opponent in the quarterfinals. Though Anisimova holds a 2-1 lead in the H2H record, she has been struggling with her fitness this year and has yet to play a match in the clay swing. A victory here could potentially see Gauff face World No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the semis, which would be a rematch of last year’s final.

Though Sabalenka has a slender 7-6 lead in the H2H record, she suffered unexpected early defeats in both Madrid and Rome. This encounter will be pretty evenly matched and a must-watch for fans.

If Gauff makes it through, then Iga Swiatek or Elena Rybakina could be her potential opponents in the final. Both of these players are capable of defeating the Americans. Swiatek has won the French Open four times and leads Gauff 11-5 in the H2H.

On the other hand, Rybakina could also prove to be a very tough opponent. The Kazakh had won the Australian Open earlier this year and had also reached the final of the Indian Wells Masters. It remains to be seen if Gauff will be able to defy the tough draw and reach her second consecutive final at Roland Garros.