Coco Gauff made history with her French Open final victory over Aryna Sabalenka, becoming the third American woman to win the singles title since 1990.
The American was victorious 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to lift her second Grand Slam trophy, ending the Belarusian’s hopes of a first Slam title off hard courts.
Gauff also broke the stalemate of her head-to-head with Sabalenka, with the two-time Grand Slam champion now leading 5-4 overall.
The world No 1 gained an early double-break advantage to lead 4-1, before also having an opportunity to seal the opening set at 5-4 with two set points on her own serve, taking neither. Nonetheless, Sabalenka would not be denied – capturing the opening chapter in a tiebreak.
Gauff would dominate the second set, breaking three times in total with her best tennis of the match.
The American went up an early break in the third set and was just one point away from a crucial 4-1 double-break lead. However, in typical Sabalenka fashion, the world No 1 fought back to level things at 3-3, before the American broke to love with a delightful cross-court backhand.
Gauff then finished off the match – claiming her second Grand Slam – with a backhand miss from Sabalenka.
“Just an honour to be here,” said Gauff, during the trophy ceremony.
“Thanks to Aryna [Sabalenka]. You are a fighter and you deserve all the results you have had. You played great despite such terrible conditions.
“I want to thank my team. You guys have been a joy to be around. You all pushed me. I know sometimes I am not easy, but I appreciate you guys.
“Amelie, thank you for making this tournament possible. I always feel well taken care of here. I would also like to thank the crowd for really helping me today.
“You guys were cheering for me so hard. I don’t know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd, but merci beaucoup. Thank you, Paris!”
“Congrats Coco [Gauff], you were better than me in tough conditions,” admitted the world No 1.
“Congrats on your second slam. You are a hard fighter and worker, congrats to you and your team. Thank you guys for the atmosphere. I have enjoyed every second of playing here.
“Amelie [Mauresmo] thank you for the best hospitality and I really appreciate everything you have done for us. You are the best.
“Thank you to my team for your support. I am sorry for this terrible final. As always, I will come back stronger.”
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Heading into the match, Sabalenka was aiming to collect her fourth Grand Slam – which would have tied her with Naomi Osaka, among active players.
In coming back from a set down, Gauff also becomes the first WTA player to win a singles Grand Slam final from a set down against the world No 1 since Venus Williams defeated Lindsey Davenport in the 2005 Wimbledon final.
The world No 2 is just the third American player to win the women’s French Open title since 1990, joining Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams.
The clash was the first French Open women’s singles final between the two highest-ranked players in the world since Serena Williams against Maria Sharapova in 2013.
Overall, the world No 1 and No 2 had not met at a Grand Slam on the WTA side since Caroline Wozniacki won the 2018 Australian Open final against Simona Halep.
As if those statistics were not impressive enough, the newly-crowned winner is also the youngest woman to claim singles Grand Slam titles on two or more surfaces since Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon 2004 and US Open 2006.
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