Coco Gauff defends French Open title

Coco Gauff begins her French Open title defense on Sunday, May 24, when the 2026 tournament opens at Roland-Garros in Paris. The American arrives as the defending women’s champion after winning her first title at the clay-court major last year. The official Roland-Garros site has published the women’s singles draw, and CBS Sports and TennisUpToDate both listed Gauff among the leading contenders in the field alongside Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina. ### Where does Gauff sit in the 2026 draw? The Roland-Garros draw lists Coco Gauff as the No. 4 seed in the women’s singles bracket. TennisUpToDate’s draw rundown shows Gauff opening against Taylor Townsend, with other seeded names in the women’s field including Sabalenka at No. 1, Swiatek at No. 3 and Rybakina among the top contenders cited in pre-tournament coverage. (rolandgarros.com) CBS Sports said Gauff is “gunning for her second straight title” in Paris. USA Today described her path as a bid to repeat as women’s champion after the draw was revealed earlier this week. ### Why is her defense getting so much attention? Coco Gauff is defending the title she won in 2025, when CBS Sports reported she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the women’s final. (tennisuptodate.com) That result gave Gauff her first French Open championship and her second Grand Slam singles title. (cbssports.com) The 2026 women’s field has been framed as one of the tournament’s main storylines because of the concentration of top names. TennisUpToDate’s preview listed Gauff, Swiatek, Sabalenka and Rybakina as the central contenders entering Roland-Garros, while also noting the event opens in Paris on May 24. (cbssports.com) ### Who are the other women around her in the title picture? Aryna Sabalenka enters the tournament as the top seed in the women’s draw, according to TennisUpToDate’s bracket listing. Iga Swiatek is seeded No. 3, and the same preview grouped Elena Rybakina with Gauff, Sabalenka and Swiatek as the players most prominently in the title conversation before first-round play. (tennisuptodate.com) CBS Sports’ tournament preview focused on Gauff’s return as defending champion in a field that also includes major winners and top-10 seeds across the bracket. The official Roland-Garros results page shows the full women’s singles draw now in place ahead of opening day. (tennisuptodate.com) ### What does the official tournament site show before play starts? The Roland-Garros website says the 2026 tournament begins Sunday and has posted draws, schedules and match listings for the event. The homepage also carried pre-tournament coverage on Saturday, including opening-day features and the published order of play. (cbssports.com) The official results page lists the men’s and women’s singles brackets as part of the tournament package for the 2026 edition. That gives Gauff’s title defense a defined starting point as the first round gets underway in Paris. ### What comes next for Gauff at Roland-Garros? Sunday, May 24, is the start of main-draw singles play at Roland-Garros, and Gauff’s campaign begins from there. (rolandgarros.com) The official tournament site and CBS Sports both list the event as running from May 24 into early June, with the women’s draw already set and the defending champion back in the field. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros will update the order of play, live scores and results on its official site as first-round matches begin in Paris. Gauff, Sabalenka, Swiatek and Rybakina are among the names already attached to the women’s bracket before the opening ball is struck. (rolandgarros.com)