Tennis: Coco Gauff cruises into third round, as Jannik Sinner edges out Benjamin Bonzi at the Madrid Open 2026

Plagued once again by early service woes, U.S. tennis star Coco Gauff showed why she’s one of the top players in the world, dismissing Leolia Jeanjean with a commanding display of return dominance on Friday (24 April) at the Madrid Open 2026.

Entering the draw from the second round, Gauff got off to a slow start. She dropped two of her first three service games to Jeanjean, but broke the Frenchwoman four times in the opening set, racking up nine uninterrupted game wins to close out the match in straight sets 6-3, 6-0.

"She's not easy to play," Gauff told the assembled press after the match. "She plays a different rhythm than most players, so just trying to get used to that.

“I had to hit a lot of jump backhands today, which I'm used to doing one or two a match, and having to do one every other ball was a new for me."

That said, the two-time Grand Slam singles champion shone on return. She converted seven out of 16 break-point opportunities, winning 61.7 per cent of return points – and 60.6 per cent of first-serve points – in just 82 minutes of play.

She advanced to the third third round of the Madrid Open by virtue of winning only the second encounter between the two players. She’ll face late addition Anastasia Potapova, who joined the draw as a lucky loser alternate, after world No. 17 Madison Keys withdrew.

Potapova earned a spot in the third round by beating the People’s Republic of China’s Zhang Shuai in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, with only 35 minutes to prepare before the match.

Men’s World No. 1 Jannik Sinner also advanced to the third round of the men’s singles draw, snagging headlines with a come-from-behind win against unseeded Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, whose inspired play pushed the Italian star to the brink in his opening match.

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