Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the ATP Roland Garros match.
Coco Gauff continues her quest for a maiden Roland Garros title and heads into her third-round clash against Marie Bouzkova as the clear favourite. However, the World No.2 hasn’t been at her fluent best in Paris, leaving the door slightly ajar for a potential upset. After facing lower-ranked opposition in the form of Olivia Gadecki (No.91) and Tereza Valentova (No.172), Gauff now faces a much sterner test in the form of the Czech.
Marie Bouzkova
Bouzkova has impressed in the opening rounds, taking out Anna Kalinskaya (No.28) and Sonay Kartal (No.56) with authority. More notably, she tends to hold her own against elite opponents — in four of her last five meetings with top-10 players, she has kept the scoreline within a six-game margin. She also holds two previous wins over Gauff, including a straight-sets victory on clay in Rome back in 2023.
Coco Gauff
Gauff has put together a nine-match winning streak on clay against players ranked outside the top 30, but her level at Roland Garros this year has been unconvincing. Against Tereza Valentova, she looked shaky, converting just 29% of her break point chances and committing 23 unforced errors. Her first serve continues to be a concern — just 65% in and 64% points won, alongside a worrying 13 double faults across her two matches.
Marie Bouzkova vs Coco Gauff Prediction
Despite Gauff’s overall class advantage, the American’s current form is unconvincing. Bouzkova has already found the keys to her game on two occasions, and a woeful first serve is likely to let Cori down. Marie won’t be blown away and is perfectly capable of nicking a set.
