Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Sunday’s first-round match was certainly not the French Open debut that Coco Gauff envisaged when she won the junior girls title in the sunshine here in 2018 at age 14.
Instead of playing to a full house and springtime breezes, Gauff faced Johanna Konta in late September on a 10,000-seat show court that was all but empty of spectators amid a persistent drizzle and chilly winds.
But despite the nasty weather and her 12 double faults, Gauff found a way to stay upbeat and get the better of yet another elder, defeating the ninth-seeded Konta 6-3, 6-3 in Gauff’s first main-draw match at Roland Garros.