Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion and a hopeful for her first Roland Garros title, found herself in precarious situations due to a shaky serve. Despite her superior ranking and experience, she managed only 11 winners, five fewer than her far-less-seasoned 18-year-old opponent. The stat sheet also revealed 23 unforced errors from Gauff, including a notable six double-faults.
The most telling aspect of the match, however, was Gauff's ability to respond. She was broken five times by Valentova – who impressively won the junior French Open title last year and was making her main draw debut at a major. Crucially, in four of those instances, all occurring in the second set, the 21-year-old Floridian immediately broke back in Valentova’s very next service game.
Gauff's father, Corey Gauff, acknowledged the serving issues but praised her tenacity. “There is a sense of urgency after getting broken, for sure. You don’t want to get too far behind. You don’t want to get two breaks down. You can live with one break. But she’s definitely got to serve better and do a better job of holding as the tournament progresses,” he commented. He further noted his daughter's strong return game, "She’s probably been one of the best returners of serve on the tour the last two to three months. But that’s not what you want. You want to hold first, for sure. It’s not really a break until you hold.”
Gauff, the 2022 Roland Garros runner-up, will now aim to reach the fourth round in Paris for her fifth consecutive appearance when she faces another Czech player, Marie Bouzkova, on Saturday.
Other Notable Results and Upcoming Matches
Thursday at the French Open also saw other significant developments. In the women’s bracket, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, last year’s U.S. Open runner-up, advanced, as did 18-year-old rising star Mirra Andreeva. Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion and 2019 Roland Garros finalist, unseeded this year, eliminated No. 25 Magdalena Frech in a three-set battle before taking a seat in the stands to watch Gauff's match.
On the men's side, No. 1 Jannik Sinner ended the illustrious career of 38-year-old French veteran Richard Gasquet with a dominant straight-sets victory. No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 14 Arthur Fils also secured wins. Meanwhile, 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic was in late action against local favorite Corentin Moutet of France, securing a win.
Looking ahead to Friday, third-round play begins at Roland Garros. The main stadium, Court Philippe-Chatrier, will feature No. 1-ranked Aryna Sabalenka kicking off the day against Olga Danilovic, while the night session will see defending champion Carlos Alcaraz take on Damir Džumhur. Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek continues her quest for a fourth consecutive championship against Jaqueline Cristian. Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko will test her mettle against Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, and an all-American clash awaits as No. 15 Frances Tiafoe faces No. 23 Sebastian Korda.