French Open final, Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff: A rare clash for the Parisian clay title between the world's top two

Indian Express

12 hours ago

For a while, before Iga Swiatek came along and marked her territory at Roland Garros, the women's draw at the French Open regularly threw up surprises. Fairy tales out of nowhere. One-time surprise winners. Even Swiatek was one such story when she completed her first triumph as an unseeded player, ranked outside the world's top 50 in 2020.
Now, with the Polish star's reign on the Parisian clay over after three straight titles and four in last five years, there will be a new champion on Saturday. But this ain't no surprise story. The title clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff for the 2025 French Open women's singles title at Court Philippe Chatrier is between the world's two best players at the moment, a rare occurrence in itself in Paris. It is the first time since 2013 – when world No.1 Serena Williams defeated No.2 Maria Sharapova – that the top two-ranked players are in the final at this tournament, and it is also only the fifth time in 35 years.
Since 1990, the other such instances featured Steffi Graf and Monica Seles (1990, 1992), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Steffi Graf (1995) and Serena vs Sharapova (2013). It is already an elite club to be a part of. In fact, not just at Roland Garros, it's been a while since this happened at any Major. The last time WTA's No.1 and No.2-ranked players played in a Grand Slam final was when Caroline Wozniacki defeated Simona Halep at the 2018 Australian Open.
While this is Sabalenka's first French Open final, she has been the most dominant force in women's tennis in the last year and some. For Gauff, this would be a second chance to win the clay Major after reaching the final in 2022 where she was blown away by Swiatek 1-6, 3-6 – an experience she said she is better off for having in the build up to facing the Belarusian this time around.
The past record between Sabalenka and Gauff is tantalisingly poised at 5-5 from 10 matches. At the Madrid final on clay this year, Sabalenka prevailed 6-3, 7-6 (3). Gauff's most memorable win against Sabalenka came in the final of the US Open in 2023, the American's only Major to date.
Long considered a hard court specialist, the 27-year-old top seed Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris. She has already won back-to-back titles at the Australian Open in 2023-24 as well as the U.S. Open crown in 2024 but she had never before reached the final in Paris with the slower clay not naturally suited to her heavy-hitting game.
Her three-set semi-final victory on Thursday over Swiatek elevated her to a new level. She did not change her power game or adapt it to clay. Instead she used it effectively to forge past her opponent. Despite the closed roof that made the ball even slower, Sabalenka's serve was still a major weapon as she dished out a third-set bagel against Swiatek, who had been on a 26-match winning streak at the tournament and is nicknamed the 'Queen of cCay'. It is this power that Gauff, a far more natural claycourt player than Sabalenka, will need to overcome.
A finalist here in 2022, Gauff is also looking for her first singles crown in Paris. The American does not have anywhere near the punching power from the serve or baseline that her opponent will bring into the encounter but her athleticism, precision and ability to stay in the rallies will be key. One of the best movers on the tour, Gauff has dropped just one set en route to the final.
(With Reuters inputs)