Coco Gauff wasted little time in getting her French Open title defence off to a winning start as she comfortably defeated compatriot Taylor Townsend in straight sets.
Gauff needed just one and 21 minutes to seal a 6-4 6-0 win against Townsend on Court Philippe-Chatrier, teeing up a clash with Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif in round two.
But the fourth seed found herself immediately on the back foot on Tuesday when Townsend eventually got the better of Gauff's serve in the first game of the match.
Townsend then squandered a huge opportunity to put herself 4-1 ahead, a chance she was left to regret as Gauff found her feet and took the match to the American.
A four-game winning run put Gauff on the verge of taking the opening set, and though her opponent
responded with a break, the champion returned the favour to go ahead.
From there, Gauff was in red-hot form in the searing heat in the French capital, dropping just nine points in the second set as she bageled Townsend to surge into the next round.
@CocoGauff gets underway in Paris!
— wta (@WTA) May 26, 2026
Round 2 #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/5mhQcszAxY
There was also a first-round victory for four-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka, who also won in straight sets against Laura Siegemund with a 6-3 7-6 (7-3) triumph.
Osaka has never gone beyond the third round at Roland-Garros, and she will take on Donna Vekic in the next round, who beat French qualifier Alice Tubello earlier in the day.
Data Debrief: Gauff flying the flag
In what was the first meeting between Townsend and Gauff at WTA level, the latter overcame a slow start to produce a statement of intent in Paris, claiming her 28th main-draw win at Roland-Garros, her highest tally at a single tournament in her career.
It also extended her fine record against fellow players from the United States. Gauff has now won 10 of her previous 11 career WTA-level main draw meetings against compatriots, only losing to Madison Keys in Madrid 2024.
Since her debut on the tour seven years ago, only Iga Swiatek (107) and Aryna Sabalenka (84) have claimed more WTA-level main draw wins on clay than Gauff's 76.
