Coco Gauff continues impressive clay court run with French Open third round win

Coco Gauff remained hot on clay on Saturday during the third round of the French Open, defeating Marie Bouzkova in straight sets to advance to her fifth consecutive Round of 16.

Gauff cruised in the first set and won the second in a tiebreak, winning the match 6-1, 7-6. The world's No. 2 women's tennis player hasn't dropped a set at this year's French Open.

Gauff entered the year's second tennis grand slam 11-3 on clay courts this season, with her losses coming in the quarterfinals to WTA No. 4 Jasmine Paolini at the Stuttgart Open and in the finals at the Madrid Open to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and the Rome Open (Paolini).

Historically, Gauff has fared best on clay, entering the 2025 French Open with a .732 win percentage on clay surfaces, compared to .698 on hard surfaces and .677 on grass.

She has a tough test in the Round of 16 against Ekaterina Alexandrova. While Gauff is 3-1 all-time against Alexandrova, including consecutive straight-set wins (2023 China Open, 2024 Berlin Open), Alexandrova has played extremely well through her first three matches.

Per InfoSys, Alexandrova ranks fifth in the women's singles draw at Roland-Garros in total points, which evaluates players in several categories, including the number of aces and winners, first and second serve win rate and net, break and receiving point percentages.

Gauff is No. 11, ranking first in receiving points (61 percent) but struggling on second serves (37 percent), good for 93rd out of 128.

She has reached the quarterfinals at the French Open every tournament since 2021, including a runner-up finish in 2022. In 2024, Gauff was a semifinalist, losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

Alexandrova could make things difficult in the Round of 16. However, considering Gauff's clay court prowess, it might not be enough to keep her from advancing.