French Open Day 3 Women’s Recap: Gauff And Andreeva In Action, Four More Seeded Players Lose

The remaining women’s first-round matches were completed on Day 3 of the French Open.

Coco Gauff, rated as the pre-tournament favorite by some, Mirra Andreeva, and Jessica Pegula all took to the court.

There were surprising results and thrilling battles at Roland-Garros, and this article overviews the action, including choosing the match of the day.

French Open Day 3 Women’s Recap

Who Looked Good

Coco Gauff dominated her opening match at the French Open.

The 2022 runner-up swiftly defeated her Australian opponent, Olivia Gadecki, 6-2 6-2.

Gauff was clinical on break-point chances, converting six of eight,  and hit several trademark backhand winners.

The only concern for the 21-year-old was leaking seven double faults in the two sets.

There was also a humorous moment at the start when Gauff forgot to bring her rackets onto the court, a moment she laughed off while alerting her team.

Jessica Pegula, who could overtake Gauff at No. 2 after the tournament, depending on results, also started well. She overcame Anca Todoni 6-2 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Last year’s US Open runner-up had a poor clay-court swing leading into the French Open, so starting strongly in the opening round felt important for her.

Mirra Andreeva’s match on Day 3 at Roland-Garros was competitive.

She won it 6-4 6-3 against Cristina Bucsa, but that did not reflect the contest’s closeness.

There were several entertaining rallies between the pair that left the fans applauding.

Andreeva taking 4 of seven break point opportunities compared to Bucsa’s 2 of 7 ultimately proved crucial.

2020 French Open runner-up Sofia Kenin played superbly in her opening match.

She demolished Varvara Gracheva, who reached the fourth round last year, 6-1 6-3.

Gracheva’s 2024 contests at her home tournament included loud and partisan atmospheres, but because of her dominance, Kenin did not allow the fans to become involved in the match.

Marie Bouzkova knocked out the 30th seed Anna Kalinskaya.

The Czech’s trademark grit and determination were on display in her 6-4 7-5 victory.

Although Kalinskaya’s performance was not perfect, she did not play badly.

Bouzkova’s defensive skills and her ability to choose the right moments to attack deserve considerable credit.

Who Looked Bad

2009 US Open semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer endured a nightmare afternoon on Day 3 of the French Open.

She suffered a shocking 0-6 0-6 defeat in just 48 minutes to the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka.

Although Azarenka was the pre-match favorite, the Belarusian has not had many notable results on clay in recent years, making the final score very surprising.

Ons Jabeur’s challenging period since losing the 2023 Wimbledon final continued.

She lost the first set 6-7 against Magdalena Frech before collapsing 0-6 in the second.

Jabeur’s previous confidence during matches that led to her exhilarating brand of tennis has been missing for some time, and it is unclear if she will ever return to her former level.

2021 French Open semifinalist Maria Sakkari also crashed out on Day 3. She fell 6-3 7-6 to Elsa Jacquemot in front of the fans on Court 6.

It was Sakkari’s second consecutive defeat to a Frenchwoman at the event, after being beaten by Gracheva last year.

Sakkari’s story is similar in many respects to Jabeur’s.

The Greek has struggled for a couple of years to find the level she used to be at.

Elina Avanesyan also had a disappointing day.

The Armenian reached the fourth round in 2023 and 2024, but was thrashed 1-6 2-6 by Anhelina Kalinina.

Avanesyan’s gritty style did not work against an opponent who thrives when she has time on her shots.

Match of the Day

Three seeded players lost in the deciding set.

Beatriz Haddad Maia could not sustain her momentum from reaching the Internationaux de Strasbourg semifinal a few days ago.

The Brazilian lost 6-4 3-6 1-6 to Hailey Baptiste. 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova was beaten 3-6 6-2 1-6 by Alycia Parks.

Although a recent finalist going out is notable, Muchova not being at her best was understandable after missing the rest of the clay-court swing because of an injury.

24th seed Elise Mertens’ loss to world No. 361 and wild card Lois Boisson is chosen as the best women’s match of Day 3.

The fans on Court 14 created a terrific atmosphere in support of the home player from start to finish.

There were many twists and turns in the opening set before Boisson got the crucial break at 5-4 to send the crowd into raptures.

Just one break of serve was needed for Mertens to take the second 6-4 and force a decider.

A break in the fourth game of the third set proved enough for Boisson.

Mertens tried desperately to get back into the match, but the home favorite struck several incredible groundstrokes to delight the crowd further. She served it out at 5-3 to confirm a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory and one of the biggest upsets of the French Open so far.

Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

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