Breakthrough Moment: Gauff Wins Her First French Open

Coco Gauff defeated Aryna Sabalenka in an intense final to win her first French Open championship.

After defeating Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka in her women’s singles final match on day 14 of the French Open, the American tennis star was ecstatic.

In a thrilling match, Gauff defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 in a thrilling final on Saturday, June 7 to win the French Open.

The 21-year-old became the youngest American to win the singles championship since her celebrated countrywoman in 2002 and the first American woman to do so since Serena Williams in 2015.

Although a new champion was assured for Paris, the first major final match involving the top two women in the world rankings since the 2018 Australian Open initially fell short of expectations on a boisterous Court Philippe-Chatrier.

In the third set, Sabalenka broke to love with clever play at the net and combined skillful drop shots and raw power to lead 4-1. This was her third consecutive Grand Slam final, but it was her first on the slowest surface in the sport.

After a weak serve game by Sabalenka, Gauff rallied from a 40-0 deficit and managed to tie the score after eight games.

Gauff wasted a 4-1 lead as Sabalenka stormed back to win the first set, forcing a tiebreak with a brilliant backhand winner.

The 2023 US Open champion Gauff hardly batted an eye, and she dialed up the intensity in the second set by claiming four of the opening five games and levelled the match after her rival’s unforced error count climbed to 51.

The 2022 Paris runner-up stepped up another level in the deciding set to build a 3-1 lead before Sabalenka clawed her way back, but she composed herself just in time and wrapped up the win to spark wild celebrations among her fans.