Coco Gauff announced her name in the tennis world by making it to the finals at the 2022 French Open. But unfortunately for the American, her dreams got shattered that time at the hands of the ‘Queen of Clay’, Iga Swiatek. The Pole defeated her by 6-1,6-3 in the final. Following that defeat, Gauff broke down in tears on her chair and was heard saying, “This is the first time for me, so I’ll try to get through this.” Then, a year later, she again faced an exit at the hands of Swiatek in the QF. Surprisingly, even last year, she faced a similar fate, but this time she was defeated in the semis by Swiatek (2-6,4-6). Is there a chance of her facing her biggest hurdle in the early stages of the 2025 French Open?

Iga Swiatek has been struggling with her form this season, and as a result, she has dropped down to the fifth spot in the rankings. She’ll be desperate to get back to her old form in her familiar territory. But talking about Gauff’s path to glory. She will start her campaign against Australia’s Olivia Gadecki, and if she wins this match, she has a chance of facing the French, Chloe Paquet. After that comes Anna Kalinskaya, the draw looks a bit tricky, but manageable for the American until this. However, after the third round comes the major challenges.

In the fourth round, there is a high possibility of her facing the 2021 French Open champion, Barbora Krejčíková, or Ekaterina Alexandrova. Gauff has a 0-2 record against Krejcikova, and guess what?  The Czech had defeated Gauff previously in the QF of the 2021 French Open. So this will be their second meeting at Roland Garros. However, against Alexandrova, she has an edge of 3-1!

If Coco Gauff manages to sail through these challenges, she may face her compatriots. But who’ll be her probable opponents in the QF? In the QF, there is a high chance of her facing either Emma Navarro or Madison Keys. Unlike Gauff, both Navarro (Merida Akron Open) and Keys (Adelaide International and AO) have won titles this year. If we take a look at their H2H record, Gauff trails Navarro by 1-2, whereas it’s 2-3 against Keys. Interestingly, Coco Gauff’s latest meeting with Madison Keys came on clay (2024 Madrid Open). Keys got the better of the youngster that time. Can Gauff take her revenge if they cross paths yet again on this same surface? Time will tell!

Then in the SF, the teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva or the in-form Jessica Pegula could be her probable opponents. Gauff has a clean sheet against the Russian (0-4). In fact, she has already faced Andreeva on clay twice (Madrid, Rome), and Gauff had the last laugh on both these occasions by straight sets. However, in their first meeting at the 2023 French Open, Gauff took three sets to beat Mirra Andreeva.

Now, coming to the other probable opponent, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff have played doubles for a long time, and they know each other’s game pretty well. Pegula has a record of 4-2 against her compatriot. But having said that, both these players have been in good form recently, so this would definitely be a blockbuster all-American clash. So as things stand, until the final, there is no chance of her facing either Iga Swiatek or even Aryna Sabalenka.

Coco Gauff has a 5-5 record against the world number one. She was recently defeated by the Belarusian star by 3-6,6(3)-7 in the final of the Madrid Open. Following this defeat, Gauff said, “I feel like she just got a lot better in everything. Probably every time I play her is tough and, yeah, I don’t think today she played me any different than the other few, or 10 times we played..she’s always been a great player.” On the other hand, Aryna Sabalenka claimed, “It was intense, a real fight; I’m super happy I was able to handle my emotions.” Who will have the last laugh if they manage to cross paths for the eleventh time in their career?

Well, perhaps Gauff will prefer to face the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, in the final. Reason? Although she has a 4-11 record against the Pole, surprisingly, Coco Gauff has won their previous three matches. The most recent one was her 6-1,6-1 triumph in the SF of the Madrid Open. Swiatek hasn’t been in her best form recently, and considering this, even she thinks that it would be “stupid” to expect a lot from the French Open this year, but still, Gauff is well aware of the threat she poses on clay.

Speaking on Iga Swiatek’s chances at the Roland Garros, Gauff said, “For sure it changes some things when you see someone who won Roland Garros that many times not having the best results. I think it definitely gives players a lot of confidence when they come to face her. You also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion at Roland Garros. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again. If I were to play her at the French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis.”

So, that was her thought on the four-time French Open champion, but what does Gauff think about her own chances at the 2025 Roland Garros, though?

Despite the heartbreaks at Madrid and Rome, Coco Gauff is optimistic about her chances at the Roland Garros

The 2025 season has been full of ups and downs for Coco Gauff. She started the season helping Team USA clinch the United Cup and then went on to make it to the QFs of the AO. But she failed miserably at the Middle East swing and also in the ‘Sunshine Doubles’. However, on clay, Gauff yet again found her rhythm. After making it to the QF in Stuttgart, she reached two consecutive finals (Madrid, Rome). Can she take some positives from these results and come up with a successful run at Roland Garros?

“I think it’s both confidence and motivation to do better. Hopefully, I can get to the final in Roland Garros and maybe the ‘third time is a charm’ thing is a real thing. That’s looking so far ahead. Overall, I lost to two quality opponents, Aryna in Madrid and Jasmine here. So yeah, I think I have a lot to improve, a lot that I can work on. I made the final with those errors. Made the final, maybe not playing my best tennis. It just gives me confidence… if I can find that good form heading into Roland Garros, I can do well there.”

Even the former ATP pro, Steve Johnson, said that he thinks Coco Gauff “definitely has a chance” of finding success in Paris, despite her recent setbacks. According to Johnson’s bold prediction, “She can go into the French Open feeling like she can win the tournament.” Do you agree with Johnson? Does Gauff really have a chance to win her second major title this year in Paris?