Coco Gauff Keeps Perfect Paris Olympics Record Amidst On-Court Challenges

Coco Gauff is excelling at the Paris Olympics, adding a 6-1, 6-1 win over Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle in the second round of singles on Monday. Despite having more than twice as many unforced errors (26) as winners (11), and only putting 55% of her first serves in play, Gauff managed to secure the victory. She also had six double-faults and no aces.

Gauff's match took nearly 1.5 hours to complete against an opponent ranked 85th, who has never won a tour-level singles title and has an 0-2 career record at Grand Slam tournaments. "You can't argue with the scoreline, to be honest," said the 20-year-old American. Indeed, her performance so far at her first Olympics has been impressive.

Gauff's Dominance

Gauff is currently 3-0 across singles and women's doubles, partnering with Jessica Pegula. She has dropped only nine games across six sets in these three matches. "I knew she was going to try to out-rally me, which I feel is one of my strengths. But I also had the ability to be aggressive," Gauff said about her match with Carle, whom she knows from their junior days.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in their 60th head-to-head matchup at Court Philippe Chatrier. Gauff expressed regret about missing this contest between two players who "mean a lot" to their sport.

Other Matches

Carlos Alcaraz moved into the third round after defeating Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands 6-1, 7-6(3). Alcaraz needed a medical timeout for hip treatment in the second set but managed to finish the match without being pushed to a third set. Alcaraz recently won his third Grand Slam title at the French Open and added a fourth at Wimbledon.

Other notable winners included Casper Ruud of Norway and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, both of whom have reached French Open finals. Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber won against Jaqueline Adina Cristian of Romania with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and runner-up Jasmine Paolini advanced in straight sets.

American Teammates

Gauff's American teammates Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro also secured victories. Collins eliminated Caroline Wozniacki, the 2018 Australian Open title winner, with a score of 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Gauff's next opponent will be Donna Vekic, a Croatian semifinalist at Wimbledon who defeated Bianca Andreescu of Canada 6-3, 6-4 on Monday.

Gauff vs. Vekic is scheduled for Tuesday, along with Gauff's first-round mixed doubles match with Taylor Fritz. Gauff aims to win three medals at these Games—in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. No player has ever left a single Games with medals from three events since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.

Handling Heat

On Monday, Gauff was unfazed by the heat that rose into the 80s Fahrenheit for the first time during the Paris Olympics. Being from Florida, she is accustomed to such conditions but took precautions by wearing ice-filled towels during changeovers and taking an ice bath after the match. "I'm just trying my best to be preventative before maybe I feel fatigue," Gauff said. "Obviously, my last two matches went quick. So I'm just trying to think for the future."

Gauff's performance continues to impress as she navigates her first Olympic Games with determination and skill.