Four Domino Effects of Coco Gauff's Stunning French Open Loss to Anastasia Potapova

Gauff's shocking loss has ramifications, both in the French Open and beyond.

Gauff was stunned in the third round of the French Open on Saturday. | Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

It was a tough day at the office on Saturday for reigning French Open champion Coco Gauff, as the world No. 4 was stunned in the third round at Roland Garros by 28th-seeded Anastasia Potapova, who triumphed 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

As one would expect, the impact felt from such a shocking result is far-reaching, both within the tournament's draw and beyond.

Here are four ramifications from Gauff's defeat.

Gauff set to plunge down the WTA rankings

Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Gauff, the defending champion at Roland Garros, entered the tourney needing to defend the 2,000 points she secured after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final.

After winning her first and second round matches, Gauff averted disaster, but there's no doubt that Saturday's loss is going to hurt her in the rankings chase. Gauff's loss to Potapova is going to cost her nearly all of the 2,000 points and will result in her dropping out of the top-five at the least.

Fortunately for Gauff, the grass court season beckons as a rebound opportunity, after she lost in the first round at Wimbledon in 2025. The All-England Club could loom as an opportunity for Gauff to recoup some of the rankings points lost at Roland Garros.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka appears to have a fairly easy path to the French Open final after Coco Gauff’s upset loss. | Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Aryna Sabalenka's path to the final looks even clearer

The world No. 1 is off to a business-like start to the French Open, having dispatched each of her first three opponents in straight sets. There were some doubts surrounding Sabalenka's French Open prospects after she lost in the quarterfinals of Madrid and the third round at Rome in her clay court tune-up, but she's quickly dismissed those.

And suddenly, the draw on the red clay is parting in front of her like the red sea.

Top-10 Americans Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, who lost on Saturday, both loomed as potential Sabalenka semifinal opponents. Both are eliminated. World No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova, who has given Sabalenka some trouble in the past, bowed out in the first round.

But seemingly no result looms larger than Gauff's loss. It was Gauff whose counter-punching style frustrated and flummoxed Sabalanka into 70 unforced errors and a loss in last year's French Open final. Now, the American is in her path no longer.

Of the three remaining top-10 players in the women's draw, each of them are on the other side, waiting in the wings as potential opponents for four-time French Open champion Iga Świątek.

Of course, Sabalenka will have to get through Naomi Osaka first, though the former has defeated the latter twice already this year. Overall, things are looking great for Sabalenka, especially after Gauff's loss.

The French Open will crown a different men's AND women's champion

Let chaos and unpredictability reign! The women's tournament is not nearly as wide open as the men's, where there are zero—yes, zero—prior major winners remaining in the draw. On the men's side, Roland Garros is guaranteeing a first-time major winner.

The same cannot be said for the women's side, where there are major winners and the best current clay court player on the tour still lurking in the draw. But at the very least, Gauff's shocking defeat ensures that a different woman will be hoisting the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup in 2026.

Austria’s Anastasia Potapova could be seen as a dark horse in the French Open after eliminating Coco Gauff. | Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Potapova's meteroic rise continues—and may not be finished

Maybe the draw is opening up for Potapova and not Sabalenka? I'm only half-kidding when I suggest that. But I'm being perfectly serious when I say this: Potapova is peaking at the right time.

Consider how far she's come this year alone. Potapova back in March was in danger of dropping out of the top-100, but a stellar clay court season has helped her strap on a rocket-booster up the rankings. Potapova advanced to the final at Linz, the semifinals of the Madrid Open and the fourth round at Rome, helping her crack the top-60 and race all the way to No. 30.

She's won 14 of her last 17 matches, and seems to be in peak form on clay. In a tournament set to welcome a different champion, perhaps the question should be, why not Potapova?

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