The hidden strength that makes Coco Gauff such a danger to Aryna Sabalenka in French Open final
As Coco Gauff prepared for first French Open final, at the age of 18, the American was overcome with nerves and had already written off her chances when she walked out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was no surprise, then, that Gauff was beaten 6-1, 6-3 by Iga Swiatek in a one-sided final three years ago.
The morning after, Gauff stepped out onto the Paris streets and reflected on the pressure she had put on herself. 'At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and the sun still rose the next day,' Gauff said.
Coco Gauff will play in her third grand slam final at the age of 21 (Getty Images)
Three years later, Gauff, now the World No 2, will return for her second French Open final against World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 21-year-old does so as a grand slam champion, having beaten Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open, but again as the underdog. While Sabalenka is also chasing her first Roland Garros title, the Belarusian ended Swiatek's dominant winning streak in the semi-finals to underline her status as the best player in the world.
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To take Gauff at her word, compartmentalising the emotional demands of another grand slam final will be key against Sabalenka, who has won three of the last four matches against her since their US Open final. Gauff exhibited supreme mental toughness in her semi-final win over Lois Boisson, denying the fairytale run of the French wildcard and home crowd in a masterful 6-1 6-2 win over the World No 361 who had beaten back-to-back top-10 opponents.
Boisson's loopy forehand and the noise of the French fans had fried the minds of two of the best players in the world in Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula. Even as Boisson trailed, a break of serve could have changed the momentum of the match but Gauff resisted while deploying a mental trick previously used by Novak Djokovic. "When you were chanting her name, I was saying to myself my name!' she told the crowd.
Gauff was also better than Boisson in every area and the tactics that had got the 22-year-old Frenchwoman so far were used against her. 'She played really great,' Boisson said. 'I don't know how to say, but she played on the right and on the left and on the right. I just feel like I was running everywhere on the court today.'
Gauff defeated Lois Boisson 6-1 6-2 in a one-sided semi-final (Getty Images)
Against the power of Sabalenka, Gauff will be the one who is doing the chasing, but the American is also the best mover in the game and it was her resilient defence that turned the tide in their 2023 US Open final. Having to play so many extra balls to finish the points, Sabalenka started to give away many errors and unravelled from a set up.
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Sabalenka is now a different player, however, with Gauff highlighting the 27-year-old's mentality as one of her three biggest strengths, along with her huge ball-striking and serve. Sabalenka's mental transformation led to two Australian Open titles and the US Open in 2024 and was evident again in her semi-final win over Swiatek. Once erratic and prone to outbursts, Sabalenka controlled her temperament after Swiatek levelled the match and was clearly superior as she ran away with a dominant final set.
Gauff defeated Sabalenka in three sets to win the US Open final in September 2023 (Getty Images)
But Sabalenka has won three of the last four matches against Gauff, including the Madrid final (Getty Images)
Sabalenka completely outplayed Swiatek in the biggest demonstration yet of the improvements she has made to her game on the natural surfaces. While the key to her victory may have still been her aggressive returns, Sabalenka has added variety to her attacking game. '[My] whole life I've been told it is not my thing and then I didn't have any confidence,' Sabalenka said. 'We've been able to develop my game so much.'
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But for all that Sabalenka has improved physically, while adding spin and slice to her range of shots, her final against Gauff may come down to a pure battle between attack and defence, between first-time ball-striking and counter-punching. 'I know that the job is not done yet,' said Sabalenka, who spoke as if she and Gauff were preparing for 12 rounds. 'I'm ready to go out and I'm ready to fight, and I'm ready to do everything it's going to take to get the win.'
The World No 1 will be the favourite but Gauff has been here before and can take confidence from the experience. 'Regardless of the result,' she said, 'the sun will still rise.'
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