Coco Gauff's French Open Title Defense Ends in Third Round Upset

PARIS -- Coco Gauff finally met a player in Paris who could match her court coverage in long baseline rallies.

Anastasia Potapova ended Gauff's French Open title defense in the third round with a 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4 victory over the American on Saturday.

The match was played before mostly empty stands inside Court Philippe-Chatrier as French fans stayed away to watch the Champions League soccer final.

Gauff's second Grand Slam title came with a victory over top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Roland Garros a year ago.

The 30th-ranked Potapova, who was born in Russia but now represents Austria, improved to 3-2 in her career against Gauff. She is having quite a clay season after reaching a final in Linz, Austria, and the semifinals of the Madrid Open as a qualifier.

The fourth-ranked Gauff was coming off a run to the Italian Open final. She waved to the crowd and quickly walked off the court when the match was finished.

When Gauff shanked a forehand wide on Potapova's first match point, Potapova fell on her back and covered her eyes as she stuck her feet up in the air in celebration.

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/48920740/defending-champion-gauff-falls-potapova-french-open)._