American Dreams Shaken at Roland Garros as Fritz and Navarro Exit Early
The 2025 French Open hasn’t started well for the American tennis contingent. While the country boasts top-tier talents like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Taylor Fritz, two of those hopes have already been dashed. Fritz and Emma Navarro both suffered first-round defeats, dealing a significant blow to the U.S. presence in Paris. Their exits have left a heavier burden on the shoulders of Gauff, Pegula, and Madison Keys as they try to keep American hopes alive.
Taylor Fritz put up a strong fight but ultimately fell to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in four sets—7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1—in a match that lasted just under three hours. Meanwhile, Emma Navarro had a far more difficult outing, suffering a heavy 6-0, 6-1 loss to Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Navarro managed to win just a single game in the entire match, a performance that raised eyebrows given her solid season leading up to the tournament.
Despite these setbacks, there’s still plenty of reason for American fans to stay engaged. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are set to kick off their campaigns, with Gauff scheduled to play Olivia Gadecki and Pegula facing Anca Todoni. Madison Keys, on the other hand, has already made a strong statement by dominating Daria Saville 6-2, 6-1 in her first-round match.
On the men’s side, with Fritz out, attention now turns to Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton. Paul secured a solid opening-round victory against Elmer Moller and is now preparing to face Marton Fucsovics in the second round. Shelton pulled off a dramatic win over Lorenzo Sonego and next faces Hugo Gaston.
Coco Gauff, now ranked No. 2 in the world, enters the tournament with high expectations. She reached the French Open final in 2022 and is widely considered a contender this year. However, former British tennis star Tim Henman has expressed concern about her inconsistency, particularly highlighting a recent Italian Open match against Zheng. Despite winning that tight three-set battle, Gauff struggled with double faults, unforced errors, and a vulnerable second serve.
Henman noted the mental and physical toll such matches can take. He emphasized that if Gauff wants to lift her first French Open trophy, she must improve her stability and reduce costly errors during high-stakes moments.
With early upsets thinning the American ranks, all eyes will now be on Gauff, Pegula, Keys, Paul, and Shelton to carry the flag forward. The tournament is far from over, but the road just got steeper.