Gauff, Sabalenka and Osaka move into Roland Garros third round
Defending champion Coco Gauff eased past Egyptian qualifier Mayar Sherif 6-3 6-2 to punch her ticket for the third round.
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The American, who landed her 80th career main draw victory at a Grand Slam, never hit top form, with her opponent offering some dogged resistance in the first set and keeping her off balance.
"It was a physical tough match. I was really tested today. It took a lot of strength today," Gauff said.
"I will be focusing on getting more my rhythm back because I did not have it today."
Sherif tried to rattle her opponent with moon balls early on but Gauff quickly raced to a 3-0 lead.
Her bright start looked to be fizzling out when Sherif, attempting to become the first woman from her country to reach the third round of a Grand Slam in the Open era, regained the break.
Sherif had several chances to draw level in a sixth game that lasted more than 13 minutes but Gauff recovered her composure just in time to protect her lead and bag the set with an ace after an hour and three minutes.
The pair traded early breaks in the second set, with Sherif punching the air when she earned hers to draw 2-2.
But she could not keep up the hunt and Gauff pulled ahead with another break, sealing the win on her first opportunity after an hour and 50 minutes.
She will next face either Britain's Katie Boulter or Austria's Anastasia Potapova
TOP SEED SABALENKA SURVIVES FIRST-SET WOBBLE
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame a first-set scare to beat France's Elsa Jacquemot 7-5 6-2 and move into the third round.
The Belarusian, last year's losing finalist, was made to work hard for about an hour, with the local hero delighting home fans with several spectacular winners.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Sabalenka is still looking to land her first French Open title.
The world number one earned an early break with a powerful forehand to go 3-1 up but Jacquemot broke straight back.
On a day when the men's world number one Jannik Sinner crashed out in five sets to Juan Manuel Cerundolo, Sabalenka had to dig deep in the first set against the world number 67.
Sabalenka had set point at 5-4 on Jacquemot's serve but the French player, who had the crowd on their feet at times, managed to match Sabalenka's power with superb precision and level.
The top seed kept her composure and won the first set on her third set point, and she never looked back.
She grabbed a break at the start of the second set and raced to a 3-0 lead, giving Jacquemot, who was quickly running out of steam, no chance of a comeback.
OSAKA ADVANCES
Naomi Osaka advanced to the third round of Roland Garros for the first time in seven years on Thursday with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 win over Croatia's Donna Vekic.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka will next take on American teenager Iva Jovic as both players attempt to reach the last 16 at Roland Garros for the first time.
Osaka, seeded 16th, retrieved an early break against Vekic and then broke back again when her opponent was serving for the first set.
The Japanese star dominated a tie-break and came up with the decisive break late in the second set to put away the 72nd-ranked Vekic.
Osaka's run to the US Open semifinals last year is the only time she has made the second week of a major since her last Grand Slam triumph at the 2021 Australian Open.
The former world No 1 returned to the courts in early 2024 after a year out following the birth of her daughter.
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