Coco Gauff dominates French Open match after arriving without rackets

Coco Gauff was slightly ill-prepared for her first-round match at the 2025 French Open on Tuesday, but that didn’t stop the young American tennis star from cruising through to the next round. 

Gauff, who won the U.S. Open in 2023, arrived at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Tuesday without her rackets, which she only realized after she began searching through her bags.

Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts as she plays Australia’s Olivia Gadecki during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.  (Thibault Camus/AP Photo)

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In disbelief, Gauff showed her empty bag to her team in the stands and appeared to joke with opponent Olivia Gadecki about the mishap. 

“Honestly, as long as I’ve been on tour, my coach has always put the rackets in the bag before the match because he’s very superstitious,” Gauff explained of the incident. “I’m blaming it on my coach. It’s OK.”

Australia’s Olivia Gadecki returns the ball to Coco Gauff of the U.S. during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.  (Thibault Camus/AP Photo)

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Despite the apparent miscommunication, Gauff didn’t appear to miss a beat during her match. She defeated the Australian tennis pro in straight sets.

“Now that I think about it, it seems like that was the only way I was going to win the match,” Gadecki joked after her 6-2, 6-2 loss. 

Coco Gauff of the U.S. reacts after winning a point to Australia’s Olivia Gadecki during their first round match of the French Tennis Open, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Tuesday, May 27, 2025.  (Thibault Camus/AP Photo)

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Gauff advanced to the second round where she’ll face Tereza Valentova on Thursday. The American’s best finish at the French Open was the finals in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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