Defending champion Coco Gauff stunned by Anastasia Potapova in French Open third-round

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/potapova-anastasia/x81l09qG/"]Potapova[/a] rattled [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauff-coco/f5BXmEH6/"]Gauff[/a] with powerful ‌baseline hitting and broke to love in the ‌opening game, before taking a 4-2 lead when the American slipped and dropped to the floor ‌of Court Philippe Chatrier while trying ⁠to reach for ‌the ball.[/p][p]In ‌a brutal couple of days for the fancied players at Roland Garros, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sinner-jannik/6HdC3z4H/"]Jannik Sinner[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/djokovic-novak/AZg49Et9/"]‌Novak Djokovic[/a] crashing out of the men's draw, Gauff was unable ‌to find her best level when it mattered most and joined the scrap heap ‌of stars.[/p][p]Her premature exit leaves four-times champion Iga Swiatek and world number ‌one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] as the leading contenders to claim the trophy, while Potapova will fancy her chances as the dark horse having dished out a massive upset.[/p][p][b]"I'm cramping a little ‌bit, but it's OK, it's all good. I ⁠don't have any words now, I'm ‌extremely happy,"[/b] Potapova said in her on-court chat as she clutched her right arm after ​two hours and 37 minutes of big hitting.[/p][p]"The fight we could show, both of us... Coco's such a champion and I respect ​her so much. I'm unbelievably proud of myself that I stayed there, that I was fighting until the very last point."[/p][embed guid="fdde0388-35a2-4c0a-bc21-d182bbddc1fa" url="https://x.com/rolandgarros/status/2060792685707817083" social-type="twitter" /][p]Potapova rattled Gauff with powerful ⁠baseline hitting and broke to ​love in the opening game, before taking a 4-2 lead when the American slipped and dropped to the floor of Court Philippe Chatrier while trying to reach for the ball.[/p][p]Gauff dusted herself off and won the next two games in ‌front of a sparse centre court crowd, with the attention split between Paris St Germain's Champions League soccer final with Arsenal in Budapest and Frenchman Moise Kouame in action at Roland Garros.[/p][p]The 22-year-old raised her game again to take the first set, but Russian-born Potapova immediately ramped up the pressure and targeted the American's wobbly serve to grab a double break at the start of the second set.[/p][embed guid="46160a67-6442-46da-823e-1bd48f525ec0" url="https://x.com/rolandgarros/status/2060786608014598176" social-type="twitter" /][p]Potapova was on the verge of levelling the match while ahead 5-2 but Gauff moved through the gears to surge ahead by ‌claiming four games in a row, only to lose the next game ​and then the set in a tiebreak where her serve let her ‌down.[/p][p]The pair traded breaks in a breathless decider, but world number four Gauff lost her way as Potapova took control and went through in style for a meeting with 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya in the fourth round.[/p][p]Potapova, ranked 30th in the world, said it was one of ⁠the biggest wins of her career.[/p][p][b]"It's ⁠up there in the top three ‌for sure,"[/b] she added.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/gauff-c-f5BXmEH6/potapova-a-x81l09qG/?mid=GjbaX6ed"]Check out the match stats here[/a].[/b][/p]