Coco Gauff handles bad memories and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to earn first French Open title
PARIS (AP) -- Drawing on the painful memory of her defeat three years ago in the French Open final gave Coco Gauff just the motivation she needed to win the clay-court major for the first time.
The 21-year-old American defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title, two years after winning the U.S. Open.
"I think (the U.S. Open victory) was more emotional but this one was harder," said Gauff, who managed to handle the elements and the momentum swings better than Sabalenka. "I knew it was going to be about will power and mental (strength)."
The victory put to rest the bad memories of her 2022 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek when, as an 18-year-old, Gauff felt overwhelmed even before stepping onto Court Philippe-Chatrier.
"It was a tough time, I was doubting myself," Gauff recalled. "I was crying before the match, and so nervous, literally couldn't breathe and stuff."
Gauff said that the lopsided loss rocked her confidence to such an extent that she was left "in a dark place" and feared she was not cut out for winning major titles.
"I thought if I can't handle this how am I going to handle it again?" she said.
She handled it just fine on Saturday.
The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes and kept her emotions in check to get the better of Sabalenka again at major final, having come from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open final.
Gauff raised the winners' trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played.
"This one is heavy," Gauff said. "It feels great to lift it."
She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015.
It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years.
After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands as she started to sob, then got up and held her hand over her mouth. She continued to sob as she patted the clay with her left hand.
Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanking the umpire, Gauff screamed out with joy and relief, then got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savored the win.
She hugged later film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box before thanking the fans.
"You guys were cheering for me so hard," she said. "I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd."
One thing Gauff could not manage -- yet -- was a victory speech in French.
"I completely tanked on that," she said, adding that she will try in the future. "I don't think I could do a whole speech but maybe a good something to say to the French crowd."
Sabalenka praised Gauff for being a "fighter" and said she deserved the win, but added that the windy conditions made for an error-strewn contest.
"This will hurt so much," Sabalenka said. "Coco, congrats, in the tough conditions you were a better player than me."
Both players were sloppy in the first set, conceding 21 break-point chances and making 48 unforced errors between them, with Sabalenka making 32 yet still winning the set. She made 70 altogether in the match, compared to 30 overall for Gauff.
Sabalenka was often frustrated, remonstrating and shouting at herself and frequently turning around to look at her team with an exasperated look on her face. She put her head on her hands a couple of times, and at one point raised her shoulders as if to say "What's going on?"
Gauff said she paid no attention, knowing full well that Sabalenka could find her best game at any moment.
The first set looked to be heading Gauff's way when she led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka steadied herself and clinched it with a forehand volley at the net.
Gauff leveled the match with a smash at the net. But Sabalenka stuck to her high-risk approach in the deciding set.
One superb rally in the third game drew loud cheers.
After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs -- only for Gauff to intercept it at the net.
It was a rare highlight on a day when swirling wind troubled both players with the roof open.
"It was tough to plant your feet, the ball was moving so much," Gauff said. "It was not a day for great tennis, honestly."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Gauff continues American renaissance by stunning Sabalenka for French Open glory
Coco Gauff continued a spectacular season for American women at the Grand Slams when she battled from a set down to topple world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a lackluster French Open final for a maiden Roland Garros crown on Saturday. The 21-year-old's 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 victory helped her become the first American to capture the singles trophy in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015 and the youngest from the United States to achieve the feat since her decorated compatriot in 2002. Victory, which follows colleague Madison Keys' Australian Open triumph, helped to erase memories of Gauff's crushing loss to Iga Swiatek in 2022 and confirmed her pedigree on the biggest stage after a breakthrough triumph at the 2023 U.S. Open.
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Yamamoto throws 6 shutout frames, but Dodgers fall to Cards
ST. LOUIS, Missouri (Kyodo) -- Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw six scoreless innings, but the Los Angeles Dodgers offense was kept quiet in a 2-1 walk-off loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Pursuing his seventh win of the season, the Japanese right-hander left the mound with the game still scoreless after fanning nine while scattering four hits and two walks. The Dodger lineup continued its recent struggles with a lack of timely hitting, leaving three runners stranded in the third and two in the sixth at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals broke the ice on Alec Burleson's RBI single in the eighth before Shohei Ohtani scored on a wild pitch to tie it for the Dodgers in the top of the ninth. St. Louis walked off on Nolan Arenado's single in the bottom of the inning. "You sometimes win games thanks to your team scoring a lot of runs, but there are other games where you just have to persevere," Yamamoto said. "That's baseball." The Los Angeles ace had his first matchup against Lars Nootbaar, his Samurai Japan teammate from the 2023 World Baseball Classic, striking him out as he led off for the Cardinals and fanning him again to end the second with the bases loaded. "I was really looking forward to it," Yamamoto said. "I definitely pitched carefully (in the second inning). I think I threw a lot of good pitches." Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a walk as he extended his hit streak to four games and gave the Dodgers their first run in 18 innings. In other MLB action, Seiya Suzuki homered twice to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 6-1 win against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. The Japanese outfielder broke the ice with a line-drive solo blast to left with two out in the first inning. He delivered another solo shot to complete the scoring in the eighth, flying high over left field with his 16th home run of the season. Suzuki spoke after the game about his friendly rivalry with teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong to lead the Cubs in home runs. The American outfielder kept his nose in front with homer No. 17 in the seventh inning. "I keep asking him to remind me how many home runs he's hit so far," Suzuki said.
The Mainichi
5 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Coco Gauff handles bad memories and top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka to earn first French Open title
PARIS (AP) -- Drawing on the painful memory of her defeat three years ago in the French Open final gave Coco Gauff just the motivation she needed to win the clay-court major for the first time. The 21-year-old American defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title, two years after winning the U.S. Open. "I think (the U.S. Open victory) was more emotional but this one was harder," said Gauff, who managed to handle the elements and the momentum swings better than Sabalenka. "I knew it was going to be about will power and mental (strength)." The victory put to rest the bad memories of her 2022 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek when, as an 18-year-old, Gauff felt overwhelmed even before stepping onto Court Philippe-Chatrier. "It was a tough time, I was doubting myself," Gauff recalled. "I was crying before the match, and so nervous, literally couldn't breathe and stuff." Gauff said that the lopsided loss rocked her confidence to such an extent that she was left "in a dark place" and feared she was not cut out for winning major titles. "I thought if I can't handle this how am I going to handle it again?" she said. She handled it just fine on Saturday. The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes and kept her emotions in check to get the better of Sabalenka again at major final, having come from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open final. Gauff raised the winners' trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played. "This one is heavy," Gauff said. "It feels great to lift it." She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff's second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands as she started to sob, then got up and held her hand over her mouth. She continued to sob as she patted the clay with her left hand. Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanking the umpire, Gauff screamed out with joy and relief, then got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savored the win. She hugged later film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box before thanking the fans. "You guys were cheering for me so hard," she said. "I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd." One thing Gauff could not manage -- yet -- was a victory speech in French. "I completely tanked on that," she said, adding that she will try in the future. "I don't think I could do a whole speech but maybe a good something to say to the French crowd." Sabalenka praised Gauff for being a "fighter" and said she deserved the win, but added that the windy conditions made for an error-strewn contest. "This will hurt so much," Sabalenka said. "Coco, congrats, in the tough conditions you were a better player than me." Both players were sloppy in the first set, conceding 21 break-point chances and making 48 unforced errors between them, with Sabalenka making 32 yet still winning the set. She made 70 altogether in the match, compared to 30 overall for Gauff. Sabalenka was often frustrated, remonstrating and shouting at herself and frequently turning around to look at her team with an exasperated look on her face. She put her head on her hands a couple of times, and at one point raised her shoulders as if to say "What's going on?" Gauff said she paid no attention, knowing full well that Sabalenka could find her best game at any moment. The first set looked to be heading Gauff's way when she led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka steadied herself and clinched it with a forehand volley at the net. Gauff leveled the match with a smash at the net. But Sabalenka stuck to her high-risk approach in the deciding set. One superb rally in the third game drew loud cheers. After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs -- only for Gauff to intercept it at the net. It was a rare highlight on a day when swirling wind troubled both players with the roof open. "It was tough to plant your feet, the ball was moving so much," Gauff said. "It was not a day for great tennis, honestly."
