Sabalenka and Gauff advance at Roland Garros

Top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff navigated their second-round matches at Roland Garros smoothly on Thursday, avoiding any upsets. Sabalenka, ranked world No. 1, and Gauff, ranked No. 4, both secured their spots in the third round with convincing performances.

Sabalenka faced French player Elsa Jacquemot, ranked 67th, on the same court where the men's world No. 1, Jannik Sinner, had been surprisingly eliminated the previous day. After a challenging start, Sabalenka found her rhythm, ultimately defeating Jacquemot 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 35 minutes.

Gauff, the defending champion, had an even more straightforward victory. She defeated Egypt's Mayar Sherif, ranked 129th, with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Although the match lasted longer at one hour and 50 minutes, Gauff controlled the game, particularly in the second set, after Sherif put up a fight in the first.

Their progression comes after the earlier exit of women's world No. 2, Elena Rybakina, adding to the tournament's unpredictability. Sabalenka is set to play against Daria Kasatkina of Russia, ranked 53rd, in the next round. Gauff will face either Katie Boulter of Britain (71st) or Anastasia Potapova of Russia (30th).