Coco Gauff has three break points. She takes none

New York Times

2 days ago

Follow reaction to Coco Gauff's French Open victory after the 21-year-old American's thrilling three-set battle with the World No. 1 Getty Images The Athletic
Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in a rollercoaster French Open final.
It is the second Grand Slam singles triumph of Gauff's career and her maiden Roland Garros title, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Sabalenka.
'I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago,' Gauff said after her victory, referencing her straight sets defeat to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final.
'I'm just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts. Three finals ... I guess I got the most important win. That's all that matters.'
Sabalenka recovered from a 4-1 deficit in an exciting first set tiebreak only to make a huge number of mistakes in the second and third as Gauff seized control.
'This hurts so much,' the World No. 1 said afterwards. 'Congratulations to Coco, she was a better player than me.' Get involved: [e-mail]
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French Open final: Coco Gauff beats Aryna Sabalenka to win second Grand Slam title Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
Gauff *3-4 Sabalenka
Sabalenka goes long, 10 points in a row, and another unforced error, 11 on the bounce! Gauff has definitely stepped it up, but how has she lost that feel so quickly?
Tennis is such a mental game at times like these. Sabalenka needs to slow things down, take her time, trust her processes. Oosh, wide and into the tramlines, 12 points in a row. She chews her lip unhappily.
Three break points! One saved as Gauff isn't accurate enough. Two saved as Sabalenka whips a brutal forehand into space. And three saved, Sabalenka has dug herself out!
Gauff goes down on her haunches to hit a flat backhand and Sabalenka just unleashes another winner. Deuce. Catharsis, thy name is Aryna.
This game is still alive, though. Gauff goes for it, error, then nets a backhand return, back to deuce. Getty Images
Nine straight points for Gauff, to go from 4-1, 40-0 down to 4-3.
Spike Lee is loving it!
Sabalenka rapidly going off the boil here.
Up until this game, Gauff had committed more errors despite taking far less risk on her groundstrokes than Sabalenka is doing with her first-strike attack. Getty Images
Gauff 3-4* Sabalenka
Sabalenka maybe a touch over-aggressive, 15-0 down, five straight points lost and now Sabalenka is the one chuntering away unhappily and glancing uncertainly to her box.
Oh, that's top. Long rally, covering the whole court, Gauff comes into the net and curls a looping parabola back over a helpless Sabalenka's head.
Gauff goes 40-0 up, then holds to love. Not long ago, Sabalenka looked irresistible, borderline unplayable. Not so now. Getty Images
Gauff *2-4 Sabalenka
Early days, of course. But Sabalenka looks in fearsome form out there at the moment. Not sure anyone in the women's game could live with her.
Even her bad shots are coming off! A frankly awful drop shot, Gauff seizes on it desperately... and overcooks it. Now 40-0, and could this be her third game in six she wins to love?
No. Error, and then Gauff shows her the quality of drop shot Sabalenka should be aiming for. At 40-30, the red brick dust swirls around behind Sabalenka's head and she has to set up a serve several times.
Double fault for deuce! Sabalenka complains to her box but you can't do much about the weather, Aryna. Poor drop shot from Sabalenka, just becomes a setup for Gauff, who feints right and slaps it left for a winner. Break point...
And Sabalenka nets! Gauff with a shout of 'Come on!'. Four points in a row from 40-0 down. Such minerals from the American. Getty Images
Gauff 1-4* Sabalenka
From deuce, a rollicking return at Gauff's toes and that's advantage back to her opponent.
Decent serve from Gauff... but in a French Open final, decent isn't good enough.
Sabalenka creams her return back past a static Gauff.
A sizzler of a forehand winner. Getty Images
That was seven straight lost points on serve before Coco saved triple break point.
If she gets back to level in this set, those three saves will have been a big turning point. Getty Images
Gauff 1-3* Sabalenka
Super setup from Sabalenka, who draws Gauff in with the drop shot, before settling into a strong foundation and pinging a rocket of a backhand passing shot down the line.
Sabalenka goes hard to Gauff's backhand side, and it's long. 0-30. Gauff gives a little nod to herself in acknowledgement. But that's not what she wanted!
Another miscue off a duff part of the racket and it's miles out. 0-40 and three more break points. Sabalenka long, unforced error, and the Belarusian grimaces.
Big serve down the T, return long, two saved! And a third as she maneuvers Sabalenka into the corner then swats away a volley, imbuing it with the annoyance and frustration of the match so far.
Cracking serve again, advantage... but she nets. Deuce.
We saw Sabalenka use her first-strike tennis to knock down Iga Świątek early in their semifinal.
Świątek responded in two ways: flattening out her own strikes to match Sabalenka's, and returning from a bit deeper to get into rallies, in which she could move Sabalenka all about the court.
Gauff's forehand grip, like Świątek's, is extreme enough that flattening out is a bit difficult, and she doesn't have the vicious, spinning power behind her ball that Świątek could use to rip the initiative away from Sabalenka in the second set of their match.
So Gauff needs to do what Świątek did: extend rallies, move Sabalenka, take away the first strike. Her groundstroke artillery just isn't as heavy. It's going to be tough.
The wind's picked up a little, and may have contributed to that complete mishit from Gauff to fall down 3-1. Getty Images
Gauff *1-3 Sabalenka
Not so good and then good from Gauff, who on the stretch can only volley a backhand at the net straight down, before ripping one beyond Sabalenka. Taste of her own medicine.
Now this is interesting. Sabalenka is tossing the ball pretty high for her serve and the ball is catching in the wind a bit, which she mentions to the umpire, before missing the first serve.
Again the second is good, and Gauff errs, 30-15. Gauff clearly trying to match the aggression and speed on Sabalenka's balls, and it works there as Sabalenka is rushed into netting for 30-all.
A near-unplayable serve at a potentially tricky part of the game. Ace. Gauff looks impassive. Ah, Gauff's eyes light up at a central forehand in the slot but she mishits it. 3-1. Getty Images
Takeaway from three games... Sabalenka is trying to attack Gauff's strength, which is her running.
She's moving the ball around the court rather than trying to hit through it.
That should pay big dividends if she can keep Gauff from camping in the back to defend. Getty Images
And there's the first double fault for Coco, often her Achilles heel.
It gives Sabalenka an opening at 0-30, which she tuns into a break to love.
Eight straight points for Sabalenka, who crunched a pair of backhands to seal that break.
Gauff 1-2* Sabalenka
Uh oh. Gauff goes wide, and worried about Sabalenka's brutal response to most second serves, overdoes it and double-faults. 0-30.
Stinging return, return plus one whistles past Gauff's left.
Sabalenka then sends Gauff careering to her left again, super get, before flipping her to the far right of the court. Again, Gauff has the foot speed to get there, but Sabalenka can calmly steer a volley into open court.
A break to love after a hold to love. Sabalenka is cooking. Getty Images
There's the first drop shot from Sabalenka. Increasingly such an important part of her arsenal.
It works well, drawing a missed Gauff forehand for 40-0. Sabalenka holds to love to level things at 1-1. Getty Images
Gauff *1-1 Sabalenka
Wow, Aryna Sabalenka laughs in the face of danger and looks jeopardy in the whites of its eyes. She flings loads of torque into a second serve and it's an ace out wide! You don't see that often.
Another booming drive to Gauff's right, 30-0.
Sabalenka has the silk as well as the steel, though, throwing in a drop shot and even the quickest player on the tour can't capitalise, spooning her cross-court effort wide.
Big serve, again, return wide. 1-1. Getty Images
It's a warmish afternoon, not much of a breeze. Pretty mild conditions.
Big noise for Gauff as she holds to 30 to take the first game of the match.
Seems like the crowd are pretty evenly split at this point, we'll see how that develops as the match goes on.
Gauff 1-0* Sabalenka
Gauff's first serve is wide but Sabalenka then goes long on the second, 15-0 in the first point of the match and a nice little nerve-settle for the slight underdog.
Two wild swipes after robust returns from Sabalenka, 15-30, but a big serve makes it 30-30.
Sabalenka is on top of the rally after eyeing up a slower second serve, but Gauff changes the pace with a slice and Sabalenka nets.
A seriously spinning forehand into the bottom-right corner of the court and Sabalenka nets again. Getty Images
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka against second seed Coco Gauff.
On the red clay of Court Philippe-Chatrier, Roland Garros' show court, the showpiece at the 2025 French Open.
Gauff to serve first.
And it's live!