Defending champion Coco Gauff has been sent spinning out of the French Open with in-form Anastasia Potapova pulling off another sensation in this shock-laden French Open.
A strangely sparse Court Philippe Chatrier crowd, with attention focused elsewhere on a men's match featuring new French teen sensation Moise Kouame and the Champions League soccer final involving local heroes Paris St Germain, witnessed Gauff's unexpected 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 dethronement on Saturday.
Gauff, who'd lifted her second grand slam title last year but has been struggling since then, found out why the Russian-turned-Austrian was considered a dark horse after a striking clay-court campaign.
Potapova, who recently reached a final in Linz and a semi-final in Madrid, constantly discomfited the 22-year-old American superstar with her clean hitting and was undaunted even when losing the first set, having to repel a Gauff fightback in the second before the American's serve betrayed her in the breaker.
