Coco Gauff, French Open champion

With a comeback, Coco Gauff, ranked No. 2 in the WTA, won the French Open, beating No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a dizzying match lasting two hours and 38 minutes. Gauff became the first American winner at Roland Garros since Serena Williams 10 years ago. The final score was 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4.

The 21-year-old succeeds Polish player Iga Swiatek, winner of the last three editions, who was eliminated in the semifinals by Sabalenka. Gauff beat Sabalenka, who she had defeated in the final of her first Grand Slam title, the U.S. Open in 2023.

The Belarusian, undisputed world No. 1 since last year, adds a second consecutive disappointment in a Grand Slam, after falling earlier this year at the Australian Open, where she had won in 2023 and 2024, against American Madison Keys.

Carousel of emotions

On Philippe Chatrier Court, covered with clouds and with gusts of wind, the first set was a carousel of highs and lows which Sabalenka managed to survive in a tiebreak after falling down 3-0.

Earlier, four breaks apiece in a match that had started 4-1 in 15 minutes for Sabalenka, intimidating with her racket and with her screams. Then it seemed that the final would be a very short monologue.

Gauff found it hard to get herself going. But the American, a child prodigy who reached the fourth round of Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019, is a mature player, a finalist at the French Open three years ago against Swiatek.

At 21, she treasures the necessary experience not to collapse and row until she finds her rhythm. She returned the double break and equalized 4-4.

In the first Grand Slam final between the No. 1 and 2 since 2018, Gauff took a 4-1 lead in the next set with a double break.

With a dynamic, consistent game, Gauff equalized the duel in 36 minutes. She took this momentum into the third set.

The stakes were high for the decisive set in a duel of streaks, with two players whose series of unforced errors (70 for Sabalenka) served to keep their rival in the match.

The end was worthy of a thriller. On the first match point, Gauff nearly claimed victory, but Sabalenka's return hit the line. The second time was the charm: The American embraced her rival and knelt on the Parisian clay.