On Saturday afternoon in Paris, Coco Gauff transformed past disappointment into triumph, capturing her first French Open singles title by defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The 21-year-old American, ranked second, rallied from a set behind to secure a dramatic 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-4 win amid the electric atmosphere of Court Philippe Chatrier.
This victory marks her second Grand Slam singles title, following her 2023 US Open win also over Sabalenka and makes her the first American woman to triumph at Roland Garros since Serena Williams in 2015.
“I believe this win was tougher than the first because you don’t want to settle for just one,” Gauff said, visibly emotional as she dropped to the clay in celebration.
I’m just grateful to be back three years ago, after losing here, I was battling a lot of dark thoughts and going through some really difficult times.
A Comeback Forged on Clay
For Gauff, it was a full-circle moment tears marked her 2022 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek, but this time, they were tears of joy.
“This one means the world to me. After three finals, I finally got the win that matters most,” Gauff said.
Confronted by swirling winds and an in-form Sabalenka, Gauff quickly found herself in trouble, falling behind 1-4 and facing triple break points at 0-40 in the first set.
Nevertheless, she fought back with her signature defensive tenacity and quick footwork to push the set to a tiebreak, which she narrowly dropped.
Gauff surged in the second set, controlling the rallies and taking advantage of Sabalenka’s barrage of mistakes 70 unforced errors overall the highest in the women’s tournament this year.
“The Worst Final I’ve Ever Played” Sabalenka
Clearly upset after the match, Sabalenka spoke candidly without holding back.
The 27-year-old Belarusian confessed, “Honestly, it was the worst tennis I’ve played in months I can’t even remember how many.
The conditions were awful, and she just performed better than I did in them.
Sabalenka went on, “Honestly, it felt like a joke, as if someone up above was watching and laughing, saying, ‘let’s see if you can handle this.
At times, it seemed like she was striking the ball off the frame, yet somehow, miraculously, it still landed in the court.
After winning the first set and leading 1-0 in the second, Sabalenka’s performance fell apart, plagued by double faults, bad shot choices, and emotional breakdowns.
Losing her second consecutive Grand Slam final following her defeat to Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January was especially painful due to her missed opportunity after a strong start.
“I can’t keep showing up in Grand Slam finals against her and playing such awful tennis,” she said, struggling to hold back tears.
Even with the defeat, Sabalenka tops the WTA Tour with 40 wins out of 47 matches this year, along with three tournament titles.
However, the struggles of Grand Slam disappointment still linger for her, particularly on clay courts.
She added, “I’ve already booked a flight to Mykonos.
I just need a few days to fully escape this crazy world and enjoy being a tourist.
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