Gauff sails into French Open quarter-finals

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app

World number two Coco Gauff continued her pursuit of a first French Open singles title with another impressive straight-set victory to reach the quarter-finals.

The American, 21, dismantled Russian 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0 7-5 in Paris.

The opening set lasted just 29 minutes, with Gauff dropping just five points across the first five games.

It is the fifth consecutive year that 2022 runner-up Gauff has reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

She will face the winner of the all-American fourth-round meeting between Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Hailey Baptiste.

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva also progressed to the last eight in straight sets.

The sixth seed defeated Australian 17th seed Daria Kasatkina 6-3 7-5 and will play either American third seed Jessica Pegula or French wildcard Lois Boisson next.

Gauff made a commanding start against Alexandrova but came under pressure as she served for the first set.

She had to withstand five break points in a sixth game lasting almost 10 minutes before she eventually converted her third set point.

Gauff was the first to face break points in a competitive second set but struck first against an improving opponent to lead 4-3.

Alexandrova, competing in the fourth round in Paris for the first time, offered resistance with an immediate response - but Gauff finished the stronger and sealed victory with a run of three straight games.

It is a fourth consecutive straight-set win for Gauff at this year's tournament. She has also become the youngest player to reach as many as five women's singles quarter-finals at a single major since Venus Williams at the 2001 US Open.

At 18, Andreeva is the youngest player to reach back-to-back women's singles quarter-finals at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis in 1998.

And she did so with victory against an opponent she admitted she does not like to practise with, let alone face for a place in a major quarter-final.

Andreeva edged a close first set with an assured service game after she broke Kasatkina's serve in the eighth game.

She then battled back impressively from 5-3 down in the second set, winning four straight games to close out the match.

"It was a hell of a match," said Andreeva, who lost to Kasatkina in the Ningbo final last year in China.

"Honestly I'm so so happy I won, I hate playing against her.

"We practise a lot and even practice is a torture for me."