In a thrilling culmination to a rollercoaster fortnight in Paris, No. 2 Coco Gauff captured her maiden French Open title with a dramatic 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final at Roland Garros on Saturday. The win marked Gauff’s second career Grand Slam title and made her the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.
The 21-year-old Gauff, who lost the Roland Garros final in 2022, returned to the famed red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier with a vengeance, showing exceptional mental resilience against Sabalenka’s raw power and the unpredictable gusts of wind that wreaked havoc on both players’ timing.
“Oh my god, oh my god,” Gauff exclaimed after falling to the clay in disbelief as Sabalenka’s final backhand flew wide. Moments later, she embraced the top-seeded Belarusian at the net, then made her way to shake hands with the umpire and high-five filmmaker Spike Lee before sitting down courtside in tears of joy.
The match, the first women’s Slam final between the world’s top two players since 2018, did not disappoint. Sabalenka came out firing, storming to a 4-1 lead in the first set and holding a 40-0 advantage on serve. But even as she failed to serve it out—twice—she managed to claim the opening set in a tense tiebreak, 7-5, with a run of fearless winners.
Gauff, however, had shown all tournament long that she was up for the fight. She had battled past tough opponents and even survived 30 double faults during her run to the final. On Saturday, it was Sabalenka’s turn to misfire—committing a staggering 70 unforced errors in all, many at the most inopportune moments.
After dropping the opening set, Gauff reset with calm precision. She broke early in the second, adding another break to jump to a 4-1 lead as Sabalenka’s rhythm deteriorated in the swirling wind. Gauff took the set 6-2, with clean hitting and clever drop shots pulling Sabalenka out of her comfort zone.
With the championship hanging in the balance, the third set turned into a tense battle of willpower. Gauff secured an early break to lead 3-1, only to see Sabalenka claw back to 3-3. But once again, Gauff raised her level under pressure, breaking to love for 4-3 and holding for 5-3.
Serving for the match at 5-4, Gauff faced a break point but stayed composed. On her second match point, Sabalenka sprayed a backhand wide, and Gauff collapsed onto her back, her emotions pouring out in front of a raucous, star-studded Parisian crowd.
Among the spectators were former U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, whom Gauff thanked afterward. “I hope I gave people back home something to cheer about,” she said during her on-court interview.
For Sabalenka, it was a second straight Grand Slam final defeat, after losing the 2025 Australian Open final earlier in the year. Visibly distraught, she apologized to the crowd and her team, saying through tears, “I’m sorry for what I thought was terrible tennis. I’ll come back stronger.”
Despite the loss, Sabalenka’s early dominance and fighting spirit in the first set kept the match on a knife’s edge until the final point. She was the favorite entering the final after beating Gauff in the Madrid Open final just weeks earlier, but the conditions and the occasion proved too chaotic.
Gauff’s triumph solidifies her status as one of the sport’s brightest stars. At 21, she is now a two-time Grand Slam champion—having previously won the 2023 US Open—and a genuine force on any surface.
“Winning here means everything,” Gauff said. “I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was a little girl. I lost in this final before, and I told myself I’d be back. Today, I’m just grateful it’s real.”
As the clay settled on Roland Garros, a new queen emerged in Paris. Her name is Coco Gauff.
