Second seed Coco Gauff became the first American woman to win a French Open title since 2015, defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday in Paris.
The 21-year-old Gauff needed two hours and 38 minutes to win her second Grand Slam title. She won the U.S. Open in 2023, also coming from a set down to beat Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
It was the second French Open final for Gauff, who lost to then-No. 1 Iga Swiatek in straight sets in 2023.
“I was going through a lot of things when I lost in this final three years ago. I’m just happy to be here,” Gauff said.
“I didn’t think, honestly, that I could do it. … I think I was lying to myself that I definitely could do it.”
In a captivating first set, neither player was at her best in the gusty conditions, each losing serve four times with Sabalenka committing 32 unforced errors on the clay court at Roland Garros.
Sabalenka opened a 4-1 lead, but Gauff fought back to even the match at 4-4. From that point, neither won a game on her serve in that set. Sabalenka had two set points, serving up 5-4, but couldn’t convert, with the set winding up in a tiebreaker. Gauff jumped to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreaker but couldn’t hold on.
The first set lasted 77 minutes, making it the longest match in a women’s Grand Slam final since Serena Williams and sister Venus Williams squared off at Wimbledon in 2002.
Gauff didn’t allow the disappointing first set to impact her game, however. She didn’t let Sabalenka, whose frustration grew as the match went on, back into it, thwarting the World No. 1 every time she appeared to gain momentum.
Sabalenka won just 48 percent of first-serve points on her powerful serve, with Gauff winning 60 percent.
Gauff finished with 30 winners and 30 unforced errors, with Sabalenka totaling 37 and 70, respectively.
With the win, Gauff improved to 6-5 against Sabalenka.
For Gauff, it was her first victory over a No. 1 player in a Grand Slam event after entering 0-4.
An emotional Gauff hit the red clay after match point, almost in disbelief. Tears flowed as they waited for the trophy ceremony.
Sabalenka, 27, was equally emotional as she accepted the runner-up trophy.
“This one really hurts but it’s OK,” Sabalenka said.
“I’m sorry for this terrible final,” she said, addressing her team and then the fans. “Thank you everyone. Thank you. And as always, I’ll come back stronger.”
This is the second consecutive loss for Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam winner, in a major. She lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open earlier this year.
Serena Williams was the most recent American woman to win at Roland Garros, doing so three times (2002, 2013, 2015). Gauff is the seventh American to win the women’s singles title.
Chris Evert won seven times in Paris between 1974 and 1986.
The Saturday match was the first women’s Grand Slam final between the players ranked in the top two in the world since No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark defeated No. 1 Simona Halep of Romania at the Australian Open in 2018.
–Field Level Media
