Coco Gauff Triumphs at French Open: A Historic Victory Over Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Gauff Claims Her First French Open Title
Paris: Coco Gauff celebrated her first French Open victory by overcoming top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 in the final held on Saturday.
The second-seeded Gauff emerged victorious in a match filled with dramatic shifts in momentum, marking her second Grand Slam title following her win at the 2023 U.S. Open, where she also rallied from a set down against Sabalenka.
After lifting the winner's trophy, Gauff kissed it multiple times and placed her hand over her heart during the playing of the U.S. national anthem.
This final was notable as it was the first matchup between the top two ranked players in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams triumphed over Maria Sharapova, and only the second such final in the past three decades.
When Sabalenka hit a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American collapsed onto her back, covering her face with her hands as tears streamed down. She then rose, hand over her mouth, continuing to cry as she touched the clay court.
Following a heartfelt hug with Sabalenka at the net and a thank you to the umpire, Gauff expressed her joy and relief, kneeling down and crying as she absorbed the significance of her win.
She later embraced filmmaker Spike Lee and celebrated with her team, reflecting on her journey since losing in her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros three years prior.
In her post-match speech, Gauff shared how her defeat in 2022 had placed her in a 'dark place' and expressed gratitude to the fans at Court-Philippe Chatrier, who largely supported her.
"The crowd really helped me today; you were cheering so hard for me, and I don’t know what I did to deserve such love from the French crowd," she remarked. "But I appreciate you all."
Sabalenka, visibly emotional during her speech, acknowledged Gauff's tenacity and congratulated her on the win, despite the challenging windy conditions that led to numerous errors.
"This will hurt so much. Coco, congratulations, you were the better player in tough conditions," she stated. "Well done, great two weeks, and congrats on your second Grand Slam, it’s well deserved."
Sabalenka began the final set strongly, maintaining her aggressive style to secure her first service game.
Gauff responded by elevating her game, winning a thrilling rally in the third game that drew cheers from the crowd. After a series of drop shots, Gauff executed a lob that Sabalenka attempted to retrieve with a shot between her legs, but Gauff intercepted it at the net for a winning shot.
Gauff maintained her baseline consistency and earned a break point, which she converted after Sabalenka double-faulted, taking a 2-1 lead. Although Sabalenka managed to break back to level the match at 3-3, she was broken again without winning a point, allowing Gauff to hold serve twice and secure the title after a match lasting 2 hours and 38 minutes.
With this victory, Gauff now boasts two French Open titles, having previously won the women's doubles championship last year.