Over the next seven weeks, Gauff will be defending finalist’s points in Madrid and Rome, and champion’s points in Paris. She found her A game during the clay swing last year; to keep her No. 3 ranking, she’ll have to do it again. Her run to the final in Miami, where she played something close to her best, was a good sign.
Gauff will begin against Jeanjean, a 30-year-old Frenchwoman with a career-high ranking of 91. They’ve played once before, at the US Open in 2022, and Gauff won 6-2, 6-3. Jeanjean had a couple of decent wins in qualifying, over Vekic and Masarova. But unless Gauff’s serve goes sideways again, she’ll have too much pace and speed for her. Winner: Gauff
