Coco Gauff upsets Aryna Sabalenka to win French Open title
Coco Gauff
battled from a set down to stun top seed
Aryna Sabalenka
6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 in the
French Open
final, her maiden Roland Garros title and second Grand Slam crown.
The 21-year-old Gauff became the first American woman to capture the singles title since Serena Williams in 2015 and the youngest from the US to achieve the feat since her decorated compatriot in 2002.
Paris was guaranteed a new champion but the first clash between the top two women in the world rankings in a major final since the 2018 Australian Open initially failed to live up to its billing on a blustery Court Philippe Chatrier.
Competing in her third straight Grand Slam final but first on the sport's slowest surface, Sabalenka broke to love in the third game with smart play at the net and mixed deft drop shots and raw power to lead 4-1 in the first set.
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Gauff broke back from 40-0 down after a shaky service game by Sabalenka and hung on to draw level after eight games.
What followed was a festival of mistakes from both players in challenging conditions before Gauff forced a tie-break with a neat backhand winner, only to squander a 4-1 advantage as Sabalenka roared back to take the opening set.
Gauff, the 2023 US Open winner, barely flinched and she dialled up the intensity in the second set by claiming four of the opening five games and levelled the match after her rival's unforced error count climbed to 51.
The 2022 Paris runner-up stepped up another level in the deciding set to build a 3-1 lead before Sabalenka clawed her way back, but she composed herself just in time and wrapped up the win to spark wild celebrations among her fans.
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The Journal
4 hours ago
- The Journal
Coco Gauff fights back to beat Sabalenka to French Open crown
The 42 COCO GAUFF BATTLED back from a set down to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final for the second time with a dramatic victory in the French Open showpiece on Saturday. The second-ranked American dug deep to claim a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and her second major title after also defeating Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open. The 21-year-old more than made amends for her emotional 2022 final loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, outlasting Sabalenka over two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. It was a second straight Grand Slam final loss for Sabalenka after her defeat by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January. Advertisement Gauff was rock solid after falling a set down, while Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in windy conditions in a match which followed a very similar pattern to Gauff's victory at Flushing Meadows two years ago. Belarusian Sabalenka was aiming to become the only current women's player to win three of the four Grand Slam events after her US Open triumph last year and back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024. But Gauff instead moved 6-5 ahead in their head-to-head record, proving the more consistent player in the first women's Slam final between the world's top two since Caroline Wozniacki beat Simona Halep in Melbourne in 2018. – © AFP 2025 Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
The 42
4 hours ago
- The 42
Coco Gauff fights back to beat Sabalenka to French Open crown
COCO GAUFF BATTLED back from a set down to beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final for the second time with a dramatic victory in the French Open showpiece on Saturday. The second-ranked American dug deep to claim a 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 victory and her second major title after also defeating Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open. Advertisement The 21-year-old more than made amends for her emotional 2022 final loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, outlasting Sabalenka over two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier. It was a second straight Grand Slam final loss for Sabalenka after her defeat by Madison Keys at the Australian Open in January. Gauff was rock solid after falling a set down, while Sabalenka made 70 unforced errors in windy conditions in a match which followed a very similar pattern to Gauff's victory at Flushing Meadows two years ago. Belarusian Sabalenka was aiming to become the only current women's player to win three of the four Grand Slam events after her US Open triumph last year and back-to-back Australian Open titles in 2023 and 2024. But Gauff instead moved 6-5 ahead in their head-to-head record, proving the more consistent player in the first women's Slam final between the world's top two since Caroline Wozniacki beat Simona Halep in Melbourne in 2018. More to follow. – © AFP 2025
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
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Coco Gauff becomes first US French Open champion since Serena Williams with stunning comeback win over Aryna Sabalenka
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