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Coco Gauff's unexpected move stuns fans at French Open; Potapova gives perfect response
Coco Gauff's French Open campaign continued with a hard-fought third-round battle against Anastasia Potapova
Coco Gauff's French Open campaign continued with a hard-fought third-round battle against Anastasia Potapova, but it was her heartfelt support for fellow American Hailey Baptiste that got fans interested. At the time of writing this story, Gauff trailed Potapova 6-4, 6-7, 4-6.
Baptiste's Roland Garros run came to an abrupt end in the second round after she suffered a serious knee injury against Wang Xiyu. The 23-year-old later revealed she had torn her ACL and damaged her meniscus, forcing her to retire from the match and withdraw from doubles as well.
Soon after learning the extent of the injury, Gauff publicly reached out to her. “I know you will come back stronger Hailey! Sending love,” Gauff posted on social media.
Gauff reveals emotional reaction to injury scene
Speaking after advancing at Roland Garros, Gauff admitted she struggled to watch the incident unfold on court. “It was really sad to see. I got a little bit emotional just seeing her dad run on the court and stuff. It just reminded me of my dynamic with my dad. I know he would do the same.“
The world No. 4 also praised Baptiste's character and journey.
“Hailey’s someone who’s always been really nice on and off the court, regardless of where she’s been in the rankings or regardless of where I’ve been in the rankings.“
“I think that’s something I really respect about her and the work that she’s put in. She’s kind of been the underdog throughout her whole life, honestly.”
“And she’s proved everyone wrong and passed all expectations. It was tough to see. I did reach out immediately after I saw it. Just wishing her the best.”
Hailey Baptiste's return timeline
Although the full extent of Baptiste's recovery timeline remains unclear, Gauff expressed confidence that her fellow American will return stronger.
“I don’t know the severity of it yet, but I know Hailey, and I know she’s resilient and she’s going to come back so strong. It’s just unfortunate. You don’t want to see that with anyone. I wish her all the best.”
The injury was particularly heartbreaking given Baptiste's impressive recent form. She reached the quarterfinals in Miami before putting together another strong run in Madrid, where she defeated Jasmine Paolini and Belinda Bencic before upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
That victory made Baptiste just the second player that season to defeat Sabalenka, alongside Elena Rybakina.
Potapova responds after Gauff's surprise move
While Gauff's comments about Baptiste drew attention off the court, her third-round clash with Potapova delivered plenty of drama on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
After taking the opening set 6-4, Gauff appeared poised to move comfortably into the fourth round. However, Potapova produced the perfect response, dominating the second-set tiebreak 7-1 to force a deciding set.
The Russian continued to challenge Gauff throughout the contest, repeatedly fighting back after losing momentum.
At one stage of the third set, Gauff earned an early break to move ahead 2-1 before consolidating for a 3-1 advantage. Potapova responded immediately, breaking back with a blistering backhand winner before leveling the match at 3-3.
The momentum continued to swing both ways as Potapova held serve to move ahead 4-3, while Gauff answered with crucial holds of her own to keep the match level deep into the deciding set.
