MusaCoco Gauff came into Roland Garros with big expectations—and a bigger target on her back. The 2022 French Open finalist isn’t a rising star anymore; she’s a bona fide contender. So naturally, all eyes were on her first-round performance in Paris this year. And while she got the job done in straight sets, fans and pundits alike are asking: how did it really stack up against the other title favorites, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka?
Let’s just say… Gauff passed the test, but didn’t exactly ace it.
Gauff showed flashes of brilliance—her backhand as reliable as ever and her court coverage, per usual, elite. But her serve wobbled early, and a few too many unforced errors gave her opponent chances she really shouldn’t have had. It was enough to win comfortably, but not enough to silence comparisons.
Now compare that to Iga Swiatek, who looked like she was out on a practice court rather than facing a Grand Slam opponent. The world No. 1 dispatched her first-round victim in under an hour, with barely a bead of sweat. Ruthless. Efficient. Peak Iga.
Sabalenka? She delivered power and intimidation, as expected. Her ball-striking was ferocious, and she looked locked in from the very first point. If Gauff played with glimpses of greatness, Sabalenka bulldozed her way through.
The verdict? Gauff’s first-round performance was solid but left room for improvement. Against the field, she looked like a contender. But when measured against Iga and Aryna? She’s got another gear to find.
That said, we’ve seen Gauff build momentum deep into Slams before. Round one isn’t everything—but in this draw, it’s a signpost. If Coco wants to match or surpass Swiatek and Sabalenka, she’ll need to tighten up the serve, stay aggressive, and make sure the next match is the one that turns heads.
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