Coco Gauff's stunned reaction to unexpected personality at Roland Garros

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Coco Gauff revealed her stunned reaction to an unexpected celebrity appearing at the French Open final. The young American did it again, this time at Roland Garros. Gauff faced Aryna Sabalenka in another slam final, this time as the No. 2 player in the world against the No. 1 player in the world. And she gutted out a not pretty but gritty win on Saturday, which was especially impressive after dropping the first set.
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Gauff rallied to win this match 6-7 6-2 6-4 to collect her second career major. The 21-year-old already has a Hall of Fame-caliber career and seems to be just getting started. While all eyes were on Coco this day, for a brief moment, the Atlanta native was starstruck after seeing Spike Lee in attendance at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Gauff explained in the post-match press conference her reaction to seeing the critically acclaimed director.
Gauff showed the heart of a champion against her overpowering opponent
Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
There were plenty of times, especially early in this final, when Coco looked outmatched. Sabalenka tends to do that to opponents, as the most powerful player on the tour. The Belarusian superstar got up two breaks in the first set as the American struggled with her serve, which has been one of her main weaknesses during this run.
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But even with the set looking long gone, Coco dug in, found her footing in the match, and made Sabalenka hit extra shots constantly. In addition, she got into more backhand-to-backhand exchanges. And all of a sudden, the match was going to a tiebreak in a set where Gauff broke the strong-serving Sabalenka three times. Still, Aryna was able to close out a nail-biting tiebreaker 7-5 and seemed to seize the momentum in the match.
But Coco showed the maturity of a longtime pro and immediately turned the tables on her opponent. Gauff showed a tendency that some of the game's icons, like Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic, have been so renowned for: taking the natural momentum that a match seems to be heading in and completely turning it the other way around. From then on, Sabalenka was getting increasingly rattled, and Coco rode that confidence to another comeback final win over her top-ranked rival.
Overall, the beauty of this result for Coco is that she has now won a second major, is already a legend of the game, and there is still so much to work on. Gauff knows better than anyone that she needs to become more consistent with her serve, which can be a formidable weapon. And then there's the never-ending saga of the 21-year-old's forehand, which showed some encouraging signs this tournament and especially in the final.
But those concerns are for later, when the American eventually turns her attention to Wimbledon. Right now, Gauff deserves all the praise in the world. She's grown up before the public's eyes since beating Venus Williams at the All England Club in 2019 and is completely living up to the hype.
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