Has Coco Gauff won the French Open? What happened in Grand Slam final vs Aryna Sabalenka

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6 hours ago

Sacre bleu! Coco Gauff is a French Open champion, and now the South Florida native has a second Grand Slam title to her name after winning an instant classic.
The Delray Beach star, ranked No. 2 in the world tennis rankings, played Saturday, June 7 in her first final at Roland Garros since 2022. But unlike her first appearance, Gauff took the trophy by beating top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the same woman she beat to win the 2023 U.S. Open.
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The 21-year-old Gauff now leads 6-5 in all-time matchups against the 27-year-old from Belarus. She became the first American to win the title in Paris since her idol, Serena Williams, in 2015, winning with her parents and Spike Lee among those cheering her on.
Gauff lost only one set throughout the tournament before the final. She struggled to close out Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Round of 16 before coming back after losing the first set to fellow Florida resident and reigning Australian Open champ Madison Keys in the quarterfinals. She then blistered past fan-favorite underdog Lois Boisson in the semifinals to set up the rematch with Sabalenka.
Did Coco Gauff win today?
Yes. Coco Gauff won/ in a three-set thriller to Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4.
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Sabalenka was in control to open the match, powering shots past Gauff through the winds on Court Philippe-Chatrier to take a 4-1 lead in the opening set. Gauff went on a 12-point run, finally winning some furious rallies to get back to 4-4, but she had some mishits when serving for the lead.
Sabalenka double-faulted on a serve for set point, then hit a series of unforced errors in a game that lasted nearly 15 minutes to keep Gauff alive. The set went to a tiebreak, where Gauff took the early advantage but Sabalenka stormed back to win 7-5.
Frequently during the set, Sabalenka voiced her frustration and let her emotion pour out between points while Gauff kept her cool to extend play. The most unforced errors Sabalenka had in any match this tournament was 25; she had 32 in the first set alone.
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Gauff continued her momentum to start the second set, opening with a 4-1 lead. She put multiple returns into the net as she served to take control, allowing Sabalenka to notch a much-needed break point. But Gauff rebounded to break Sabalenka right back, then breezed her way to forcing the decisive third set.
The two traded points before Gauff broke serve and took the lead. Sabalenka continued venting at her box throughout the match as Gauff stayed composed to put away audacious shot attempts.
As light rain started to fall on the court, Sabalenka used a double fault and errors by Gauff to get back to 3-3. But more unforced errors and a double fault by Sabalenka let Gauff break her right back. The American continued to put pressure on Sabalenka and force errant shots all the way to championship point.
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Sabalenka nearly broke serve after Gauff reached the final point, but she rallied back to put it away on her second try.
What majors has Coco Gauff won?
Entering today's French Open final, Gauff had one Grand Slam trophy to her name: the 2023 U.S. Open. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in three sets after dropping the opening set.
Gauff was 19 when she won her first Grand Slam title. That's young, but far from the youngest to ever win one of tennis' top tournaments: Serena Williams was 17 when she claimed the 1999 U.S. Open championship, and Martina Hingis set the record by being 16 years, 117 days old when she won the 1997 Australian Open.
Coco Gauff's path to French Open final
First round (May 27): def. Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2
Second round (May 29): def. Tereza Valentova 6-2, 6-4
Third round (May 31): def. Marie Bouzkova 6-1, 7-6 (3)
Round of 16 (June 2): def. No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-0, 7-5
Quarterfinals (June 4): def. No. 7 Madison Keys 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1
Semifinals (June 5): def. Lois Boisson 6-1, 6-2
Final (June 7): def. No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4
Coco Gauff Grand Slam history
2025 French Open: Champion (beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4)
2025 Australian Open: Quarterfinals (lost to Paula Badosa 5-7, 4-6)
2024 U.S. Open: Round of 16 (lost to Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 3-6)
2024 Wimbledon: Round of 16 (lost to Emma Navarro 4-6, 3-6)
2024 French Open: Semifinals (lost to Iga Swiatek 2-6, 4-6)
2024 Australian Open: Semifinals (lost to Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 4-6)
2023 U.S. Open: Champion (beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2)
2023 Wimbledon: First round (lost to Sofia Kenin 4-6, 6-4, 2-6)
2023 French Open: Quarterfinals (lost to Iga Swiatek 4-6, 2-6)
2023 Australian Open: Round of 16 (lost to Jelena Ostapenko 5-7, 3-6)
2022 U.S. Open: Quarterfinals (lost to Caroline Garcia 3-6, 4-6)
2022 Wimbledon: Third round (lost to Amanda Anisimova 7-6, 2-6, 1-6)
2022 French Open: Final (lost to Iga Swiatek 1-6, 3-6)
2022 Australian Open: First round (lost to Wang Qiang 4-6, 2-6)
2021 U.S. Open: Second round (lost to Sloane Stephens 4-6, 2-6)
2021 Wimbledon: Round of 16 (lost to Angelique Kerber 4-6, 4-6)
2021 French Open: Quarterfinals (lost to Barbora Krejcikova 6-7, 3-6)
2021 Australian Open: Second round (lost to Elina Svitolina 4-6, 3-6)
2020 U.S. Open: First round (lost to Anastasija Sevastova 3-6, 7-5, 4-6)
2020 Wimbledon: Canceled
2020 French Open: Second round (lost to Martina Trevisan 6-4, 2-6, 5-7)
2020 Australian Open: Round of 16 (lost to Sofia Kenin 7-6, 3-6, 0-6)
2019 U.S. Open: Third round (lost to Naomi Osaka 3-6, 0-6)
2019 Wimbledon: Round of 16 (lost to Simona Halep 3-6, 3-6)
When is Coco Gauff's next match?
The WTA heads to grass courts next in preparation of Wimbledon, which starts June 30. Last year, Gauff played in the Berlin Open, which begins this year June 16. In 2023, she also played in Eastbourne, the last tournament before Wimbledon.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Coco Gauff wins French Open vs Aryna Sabalenka: Watch highlights