Coco Gauff came through an unexpectedly difficult match against Tereza Valentová to win 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday, becoming the youngest player in 17 years to reach the third round of the French Open for five consecutive years.

Against Valentova, an 18-year-old who won the junior title at the French Open last year and was competing in the main draw at a major tournament for the first time, Gauff got broken five times. Four of those came in the second set — and each time, the 21-year-old Floridian managed to immediately rebound to claim Valentova’s very next service game.

Second seed Coco Gauff moved into the French Open third round on Thursday by beating unseeded Czech Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-4 although the American did not have things all her own way. Gauff came under threat from the 18-year-old Valentova's powerful serve but found a way past her thanks to her relentless returning and powerful groundstrokes.