It'll be No. 1 vs. No. 2 on Saturday when Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff meet in the French Open women's singles final
'Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final,' the American said after beating 361st-ranked French wild-card entry Loïs Boisson, 6-1, 6-2, in the semifinals Thursday.
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'I'm sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that [makes] me realize how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position,' Gauff said. 'At first, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and, you know, the sun still rose the next day ... Regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.'
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Here's another key difference: The Gauff of today is a Grand Slam champion. She won the 2023 US Open; her opponent in that final just so happened to be Sabalenka.
'I just remember kind of feeling,' Gauff said, 'like I was holding my breath to the match point.'
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Their head-to-head series is tied, 5-5, entering the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in a French Open women's final since Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova in 2023.
Sabalenka beat Gauff in their most recent meeting, which came at the Madrid Open in May on the type of red clay used at Roland-Garros. So Gauff is well aware of Sabalenka's many talents, which were on full display during a 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-0 semifinal victory over three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek.
'She can come up with some big shots and big winners pretty much at all areas of the court,' Gauff said about the 27-year-old from Belarus. 'She's a fighter, as well. She's going to stay in the match regardless of the scoreline.'
After getting pushed to a third set by Swiatek, who had won 26 matches in a row at the French Open, Sabalenka was pretty much perfect down the stretch.
Even Sabalenka called the lopsided nature of that last set 'shocking for me.'
She didn't make a single unforced error; Swiatek had 12.
'The pace was from her [was] super fast,' Swiatek said. 'It was just hard to get into any rally.'
Sabalenka took over the top ranking from Swiatek last October and has remained there. Sabalenka is 40-6 this season with three titles and, while her three major championships all came on hard courts — at the 2023 and 2024 Australian Opens and the 2024 US Open — the work she's put in to improve on clay is clearly paying off.
'I can go flat. I can [play[ with the spin. I can go back and play in defense,' Sabalenka said. 'That's what works the best on the clay court for me.'
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The truth is, regardless of the surface, Sabalenka still appears to be most comfortable when she hits the ball as hard as possible.
Her high-risk style offers a contrast to Gauff, who has been making an effort to be more aggressive with her forehand but usually is at her best when she is making opponents hit shot after shot because she can get to everything with her speed, instincts and defense.
'She's going to come out swinging,' Gauff said. 'I just have to expect that and do my best to kind of counter that.'
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