Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend Prediction & Picks - WTA French Open
WTA - WTA French Open
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by Tyler Doty | in Tennis Picks
The latest edition of the French Open Grand Slam finally kicks off this week! And in the first round, fans are in for an all-American showdown as Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend face off!
Gauff, the defending champion herself, is back this year to defend the title she won for the first time last year against Aryna Sabalenka. Although she hasn’t won a title yet in the 2026 season, the 22-year-old has performed well in numerous tournaments, reaching the semifinals in Dubai and the final in Miami on hard courts.
On clay, she struggled to get started but excelled at the Rome tournament, stringing together wins and reaching the final against Elina Svitolina. Having come so close to the title, the American will be eager to quickly put that behind her and prove that she remains the queen of Roland Garros courts.
Taylor Townsend, for her part, is competing at Roland Garros for the 10th time in her career. Having played in only two clay-court tournaments before arriving in Paris, the 30-year-old failed to advance past the first round in Madrid and the round of 16 in Rome. This is not a very encouraging record for hoping to achieve a result against a top-5 player.
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Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend Form
Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend Latest Matches
5/6 (83%)
1/6 (17%)
May 16, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 14, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 12, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 11, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 9, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 7, 2026 - WTA Rome
4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
May 9, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 7, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 6, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 5, 2026 - WTA Rome
May 4, 2026 - WTA Rome
Apr 22, 2026 - WTA Mutua Madrid Open
Coco Gauff - Taylor Townsend Key Points
- Coco Gauff is ranked No. 4 in the world.
- Gauff reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January.
- Taylor Townsend is ranked No. 73 in the world.
- Townsend has been eliminated in the first round of the French Open in each of her last four appearances.
- Townsend won their only head-to-head match in 2019.
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Our Coco Gauff vs Taylor Townsend Prediction
Coco Gauff and Taylor Townsend are facing off for the second time in this first round of the French Open! Although 30-year-old Taylor Townsend won their only previous match, both players have improved significantly since then, and Gauff is now expected to come out on top. The top-5 ranked player is none other than the defending champion of this Parisian Grand Slam and should make a successful start to the tournament.
Our prediction for Cori Gauff vs. Taylor Townsend: Gauff in straight sets!
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
