Coco Gauff delivered another stunning comeback in a Grand Slam final, defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win her first Roland Garros singles title and second Grand Slam title overall.
In a tightly contested match between the top two players in the PIF WTA Rankings, No. 2 seed Gauff overcame Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to capture the 2025 French Open crown. The win came after 2 hours and 38 minutes of high-quality play on the clay courts of Paris.
“It really came down to the last few points, but overall I’m just really happy with the fight I managed today,” Gauff said after the match. “It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done, and that’s all that matters.”
Second Slam Title for Gauff
Three years after her runner-up finish at Roland Garros in 2022, Gauff has now added the French Open title to her 2023 US Open victory—both of which came after dropping the first set to Sabalenka in the final. The American now leads their head-to-head 6-5 overall, including a 2-1 edge on clay and at Grand Slam events.
Gauff becomes the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015. At 21, she is also the youngest American to claim the title since Serena’s first win in 2002.
“This is one I really wanted,” Gauff said. “I felt that, even as a young player, this was the Slam where I had the best shot of winning.”
The Match: Power vs. Resilience
The final marked the first Grand Slam title match between the world’s top two players since the 2018 Australian Open, and the first such final at Roland Garros since 2013. It lived up to the billing.
Sabalenka came out strong, taking a 4-1 lead in the first set and serving for it twice. But Gauff’s defensive grit forced a tiebreak. Though Gauff led 4-1 in the breaker, Sabalenka surged back, winning key points at the net to take the set in 77 minutes.
Gauff responded with aggression and sharper court positioning in the second set. A fast start and a series of unforced errors from Sabalenka helped the American level the match at one set all.
In the decider, the players exchanged early breaks before Gauff seized control with a love break at 4-3, capped by a crisp backhand winner. At 5-4, she saved a break point and finally closed out the match with a composed all-court rally, collapsing in joy on the clay.
“I was trying to be more aggressive in the second set, which worked,” Gauff explained. “In the third, I knew she would raise her level, and I had to match it. I just ran and fought.”
Rankings, Records, and Prize Money
With the win, Gauff retains her career-high World No. 2 ranking and rises to No. 2 in the Race to the WTA Finals in Riyadh. She also walks away with €2,550,000 in prize money.
Sabalenka, who was aiming to win her third different Grand Slam, falls to 3-3 in major finals but remains World No. 1 in both rankings. Her runner-up finish earns her €1,275,000.
Despite hitting seven more winners than Gauff in the final, Sabalenka committed 40 more unforced errors, which ultimately proved decisive.
Clay-Court Leader
Gauff’s Paris victory caps a dominant clay-court season. She now leads all players in main-draw wins on clay in 2025 with 18, edging out Sabalenka’s 17. Although Gauff had fallen short in WTA 1000 finals in Madrid and Rome earlier this spring, she ends the clay season with the most prestigious trophy of all—her first Roland Garros title.
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