Coco Gauff described winning her first French Open title as “one I really wanted” after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a hard-fought final on Saturday.
The 21-year-old American battled past the world number one 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 in challenging, blustery conditions at Roland Garros.
“This is the one I really wanted,” Gauff said. “As a child, I always believed the French Open was the Grand Slam I had the best chance of winning. I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t claim at least one title here.”
Reflecting on the final, she added, “Facing Aryna, I told myself, ‘You’ve just got to go for it and do everything you can to get through this match.’”
Saturday’s victory marked redemption for Gauff, who broke down in tears after losing the 2022 French Open final to Iga Swiatek. She has reached at least the quarter-finals in Paris in each of the last four years.
Recalling the 2022 ceremony, she said, “When Iga won, I took in every detail and dreamed of experiencing it myself. Watching her during the Polish anthem was emotional. I thought, ‘This is such a special moment.’ So today, hearing the American anthem play, I reflected on that.”
Gauff made history as the first woman to defeat a world number one in a Grand Slam final from a set down since Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport at Wimbledon in 2005.
This triumph is her first title since winning the WTA Finals last year. She had suffered defeats in the Madrid and Italian Open finals earlier this season, losing to Sabalenka and Jasmine Paolini respectively.
Sabalenka criticised the windy conditions, calling them “terrible” after the stadium roof was opened just before the match began. Gauff agreed the weather posed a real challenge.
“It wasn’t a day for great tennis,” she admitted. “I doubt many players could’ve delivered their best today — but that’s tennis outdoors.”
Among those celebrating in the crowd was American filmmaker and devoted New York Knicks fan Spike Lee. Gauff shared a light-hearted moment after her win: “I told him, even though the Knicks didn’t win, at least I gave him something to cheer about.”
Both players struggled on serve, especially during the 77-minute opening set, which featured eight breaks.
Sabalenka later claimed that Swiatek might have beaten Gauff in the final, had she not lost in the semis. Gauff dismissed the suggestion.
“I don’t agree with that — I’m sitting here with the trophy,” she replied. “No disrespect to Iga, but I beat her in straight sets in Madrid last month. Anything can happen in sport.”