Gauff defeats Sabalenka at French Open, wins second Grand Slam title

In an engrossing showdown, Coco Gauff pulled off another three-set comeback in a Grand Slam final, capturing her first Roland Garros singles title and second Grand Slam singles title on Saturday.

Roland Garros: Draws | Scores

In a championship clash between the top two players in the PIF WTA Rankings, No. 2 seed Coco Gauff toppled World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to prevail on the terre battue and win the French Open.

After narrowly losing a mesmerizing, back-and-forth first set, Gauff rebounded spectacularly to close out victory after 2 hours and 38 minutes and hoist the the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.

Slam final repeat: Three years after her runner-up showing at 2022 Roland Garros, Gauff adds the French Open crown to her 2023 US Open title. She also defeated Sabalenka from one set down to collect that title in New York City. Gauff is now 6-5 overall vs. Sabalenka.

Gauff is the first American in a decade to triumph in Paris, since Serena Williams won her third French Open title in 2015. At 21 years old, Gauff is also the youngest American to win the Roland Garros title since Serena Williams' first French Open title in 2002.

Staying in the top 2: Picking up 2,000 points for winning her second Slam title, Gauff will rise from No. 5 to No. 2 in the Race to the WTA Finals Riyadh. The American will also maintain her career-high World No. 2 spot in the PIF WTA Rankings. Gauff also earns €2,550,000 for her championship efforts this fortnight.

Sabalenka falls to 3-3 in Grand Slam finals, but she will still remain No. 1 in both the PIF WTA Rankings and the Race to the WTA Finals Riyadh by large margins. By making the final, Sabalenka picks up €1,275,000.

Gripping turnaround: Saturday marked the first Grand Slam women's final between World No. 1 and No. 2 since the 2018 Australian Open (No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki d. No. 1 Simona Halep), and the first Roland Garros final between the top two since 2013 (No. 1 Serena Williams d. No. 2 Maria Sharapova).

On an intermittently gusty Saturday, the first set was a tense tussle befitting their positions at the top of the table. Sabalenka initially led 4-1, and she served for the set at 5-4 (holding two set points) and 6-5.

But Sabalenka could not totally hit through Gauff's relentless speed, and the American battled back to force the first set into a tiebreak. A Gauff forehand winner gave her a 4-1 lead in the breaker, edging close to a stunning comeback.

However, Sabalenka pushed deeper into the court to reel the breaker back to 5-5. Charging the net with aplomb, Sabalenka punched two winning volleys to clinch the one-set lead after 1 hour and 17 minutes.

After that grueling opener, though, it was Gauff who came out swinging in the second, taking more shots inside the baseline. She slammed a forehand winner to grab an immediate break, and after a return winner, the American led 4-1. As Sabalenka's errors mounted, Gauff eased through the rest of the second set, and the match was suddenly dead even.

More to come...

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