Coco Gauff won the French Open showpiece on Saturday to defeat world number one Aryna Sabalenka for the second time in a dramatic victory.
After also defeating Sabalenka at the US Open in 2023, the second-ranked American fought hard to win a 6-7 (5 / 7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and her second major title.
Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek in Roland Garros over the course of two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier, making more than up for her emotional 2022 final defeat.
After being defeated by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January, Sabalenka lost to Madison Keys for the second time in a row in the Grand Slam final.
Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in windy conditions, which was a match that resembled Gauff’s victory at Flushing Meadows two years ago, while Sabalenka made another set-rebound.
After winning the US Open last year and the following Australian Open titles back-to-back in 2023 and 2024, Belarusian Sabalenka wanted to become the only female player in the world to win three of the four Grand Slam events.
Gauff ended up 6-5 ahead of the top two, proving to be the more consistent player in the first women’s doubles final since Caroline Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep in Melbourne in 2018.
READ MORE: Sinner Ends Djokovic’s record bid to face Alcaraz in the French Open Final.
first set of marathons
The 27-year-old Sabalenka quickly asserted herself, winning four of the first five games in a row.
Before being forced into a tie-break, the top seed had a 4-1 lead with a double-break in her semi-final victory over Swiatek.
With two double-faults and a tame backhand into the bottom of the net, she also gave Gauff a glimmer of hope.
When Sabalenka hit a second groundstroke long, Gauff scored 12 points in a row to bring the set level at the fifth break point of the eighth game.
She gave the break right away because she couldn’t continue to build on that momentum.
In a tense game, Sabalenka ultimately extended the lead by taking her fifth break point, missing two set points, the first of which was a double-fault.
Both players struggled on serve in the breeze, with Sabalenka breaking once more in the set before failing once more to tie the game.
After 77 minutes, Sabalenka ran out of four straight points to finally win the set in the opening set of a women’s French Open final. This was the first tie-break since 1998.
It was the longest set in a women’s Grand Slam final since the Williams sisters squared off in 2002, and it was also longer than the previous year’s final between Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini.
Gauff, however, took the lead into the second set by opening up a 4-1 lead with a double-break.
Gauff won the match with a confident smash at the net, beating Sabalenka in the first set, and she did so without any issues.
In game three, Sabalenka sent down her fifth double-fault, and the US star also broke first in the third.
As Gauff approached the title, Sabalenka was able to reclaim the lead to 3-3, but the relationship quickly became broken.
A thunderous Sabalenka return to the baseline denied Gauff on her first match point, and she then needed to save a break point.
But she crossed the line again, falling to the ground in celebration.
Source: Channels TV
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