Gauff Is Queen Of Clay In Paris, Wins First Roland-Garros Title

Coco Gauff, Roland-Garros
Coco Gauff (photo: Jürgen Hasenkopf)

PARIS/WASHINGTON, June 7, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

There has been a rich history of World No. 1 versus World No. 2 playing for Grand Slam trophies in women’s singles at Roland-Garros. To wit, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles played twice, in 1990 and 1992, and Graf faced Arantxa Sanchez Vicaro in 1995. More recently, Serena Williams won the second of her three French Open titles against Maria Sharapova in 2013.

When World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka took on World No. 2 Coco Gauff for this year’s Roland-Garros title Saturday afternoon in Paris, it was the fifth time since 1990 that the Top-2 seeded players faced off in the women’s singles final. The two finalists were no strangers to one another, having split 10 previous meetings – including 1-1 in majors. Gauff defeated Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, to win the 2023 US Open title, while Sabalenka prevailed in their last major meeting, in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open, 7-6 (2), 6-4.

With both women looking to win their first French Open title in the year’s second major, a feat which demands both skill and excellence, it was Gauff who prevailed on this first Saturday in June under windy and, sometimes, misty conditions. She won 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, in two hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier for her first Roland-Garros title and second major overall.

No American had won a title at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015 until the 21-year-old Gauff made history on Saturday. She’s now the youngest American champion in Paris since Williams won in 2002 – and the first new women’s champion of the clay-court major in four years following a three-year run of titles won by Iga Swiatek, who has won four of the last six crowns.

By the end Sabalenka, 27, the first woman to reach three straight major finals since Williams in 2016 – and already, a three-time Grand Slam champion, all on hard courts – was in tears following her erratic performance. As she accepted her runner-up prize from four-time French Open champion Justine Henin, she said: “Honestly, guys, this hurts so much.”

Later, during her post-match news conference, Sabalenka echoed what she expressed on the awards podium: “It just hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, to go out there and do what I did, it hurts,” she said.

Next, Gauff accepted the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen trophy from Henin and held it high, turning in all directions to pose with and kiss the trophy. Then, as Gauff cradled it with her left hand, she stood proudly and placed her right hand over her heart during the playing of the United States national anthem.

When it was her turn to speak, Gauff said: “The crowd really helped me today. You guys were cheering for me so hard and I don’t know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd but I appreciate it. Merci beaucoup! I’m going to quote Tyler the Creator right here. He said: ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying.’ I’d like to leave that with you guys. I think I was lying to myself and I definitely could do it.”

As it happened, Sabalenka attacked Gauff from the first game of the final and moved the ball around the court in an attempt to keep the American from camping on the baseline. Her strategy seemed to work as she jumped out to a demonstrative 4-1 double-break lead. Soon, Gauff got one of the breaks back after Sabalenka netted an unforced error off a backhand.

Next, serving at 2-4, Gauff won a 13-shot rally with a nifty lob winner, then held after Sabalenka made consecutive errors off her backhand. While winning back-to-back games helped to shift the moment toward Gauff, she was pushed to nearly eight minutes in the eighth game before breaking Sabalenka to draw even at 4-all. During the comeback, Gauff won 12 points in a row, which no doubt left Sabalenka frustrated and looking for answers.

While Gauff could finally relax and swing more freely, as she did in capturing a 17-shot rally with a forehand winner, Sabalenka broke her for the third time in the set to lead 5-4, with the set riding on her racquet. Next, the two combatants tussled through an 18-point, six-deuce 10th game that stretched across 11-plus minutes before Gauff converted her fifth break point after winning an 11-shot rally. She drew even at 5-all after Sabalenka sailed a forehand long, but the Belarusian recovered in the next game and her volley winner on her second break-point opportunity of the game pushed her ahead 6-5 and gave Sabalenka a chance to serve for the set, again. However, Gauff hit a backhand winner to break Sabalenka and it was on to a tie-break to decide the first set.

In the tie-break, Gauff led 3-0 and 4-1, but Sabalenka rallied to draw even at 5-all. Next, Sabalenka won a 19-shot rally with a forehand winner – and won the set on her third set-point opportunity as she struck a delicate, six-shot volley winner at the net to wrap up the one-hour, 19-minute opener – 79 minutes filled with plenty of marvelous winners and unyielding unforced errors from both players.

As the esteemed tennis writer, Christopher Clarey, who has witnessed many a great men’s and women’s Roland-Garros finals over the years noted in a live blog of the title match, “it was one of the most extraordinary and fraught sets in a French Open women’s final. For a change, it was only the first set.”

As the second set unfolded, Gauff jumped out to a double-break 4-1 lead just like Sabalenka had in the first set. After finding some consistency, she could finally play some offensive tennis. Soon, Gauff broke at love to go ahead 5-2 after Sabalenka became unraveled after making four straight errors. With mental strength as her ally, Gauff served out of the set at love to win the 32-minute set 6-2, taking full advantage of 19 unforced errors by Sabalenka.

It was on to a third set – and who could handle the intangibles the best, in this now best-of-1 set final – to decide the final. There were plenty of drops and slices – even a tweener by Sabalenka that Gauff turned into a delicate drop-volley winner. Gauff took a 2-1 break lead without swinging her racquet after Sabalenka double-faulted on a 30-40 break point as the match reached the two-hour mark. Soon, Gauff consolidated her eighth break of Sabalenka’s serve to go ahead 3-1 after winning her ninth of the last 12 games. Then, Sabalenka held after saving two break points during a 10-point fifth game as a light mist began to fall over Court Philippe-Chatrier.

With the lights turned on but with the roof still open, Sabalenka broke back after a sixth-shot backhand forced error from Gauff to level the final set 3-all. Then, it was Gauff’s turn to break her opponent’s serve. She gained a break point after Sabalenka double faulted for the sixth time, then broke by hitting a backhand winner to cap a 10-shot rally. Next, Gauff consolidated the break to push ahead 5-3 after securing game point on a fourth-shot backhand unforced error from Sabalenka.

With Gauff a game away from winning her second major title – and first on clay – it was up to Sabalenka to hold serve and make Gauff serve it out. After Sabalenka gained a 40-15 lead, Gauff won the next two points to set up a deuce. Barely hanging on, she held with a forehand winner to put the match on Gauff’s racquet, leading 5-4.

Soon, Gauff gained a championship point at 40-30 with a forehand winner, but Sabalenka fought it off after Gauff hit a forehand forced error. Sabalenka gained a break point hitting a forehand winner but Gauff recovered and got it to deuce on an unforced error by Sabalenka. Then, she gained a second championship point on a forehand unforced error, and won the game, the set and the championship after Sabalenka hit a 10th-shot backhand unforced error that sailed wide right.

Stoic and mentally tough the entire match, it was Gauff’s moment to shine. She kept fighting for every point, while keeping her composure and maintaining her consistency. By the end of the match, Gauff had won 60 percent (39 of 65) of her first-serve points, hit 30 winners – including three aces – to 30 unforced errors, converted nine of 21 break-point chances, and outpointed Sabalenka 119-100. Sabalenka countered with mostly inferior numbers: 48 percent (33 of 69) efficiency on winning first-serve points, 37 winners to 70 unforced errors, and she converted six of 13 break points.

For the first time in a decade, an American in Paris prevailed at Roland-Garros as Gauff won. She fell to her back in celebration. Then, as she rose, she put her hand over her mouth and whispered “Oh, my god!” toward her team. After sharing an embrace at the net with Sabalenka, Gauff raced over to share a high-five with American film producer Spike Lee, then raced up into the stands to celebrate with her parents, Corey and Candi, and members of her team.

Finally, the moment hit Gauff: The French Open crown was hers. She was a champion at Roland-Garros for the first time. Indeed, an American in Paris had won it all.

During her champion’s news conference, Gauff said: “It really came down to the last few points, but overall I’m just really happy with the fight that I managed today. It wasn’t pretty, but it got the job done, and that’s all that matters.”

Granollers and Zeballos win first major doubles title together

In the nearly six years since Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina first teamed up as doubles partners, back in Montreal in 2019, they had never won a Grand Slam title together. On Saturday night, it all changed after the No. 5 seeds fought past No. 8 seeds Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski of Great Britain, 6-0, 6-7 (5), 7-5, in two hours and 22 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier to win the Roland-Garros men’s doubles crown.

Roland-Garros represented the fourth major final that Granollers, 39, and Zeballos, 40, had played in, after reaching the title matches at the 2019 US Open and twice at Wimbledon, 2021 and 2023. However, this time, they found a way to lift the champion’s trophy.

At 3-all in the final set and facing a deciding point at 40-40, Zeballos hit a winner in which he flicked a difficult backhand that traveled between the net post and sponsor sign, separated by half a meter, and landed in the doubles alley much to the amazement of everyone. It provided the Spanish/Argentine duo with a 4-3 lead and the boost they needed to win the title.

The winners combined to hit six aces and 46 overall winners, won 71 percent (55 of 77) of their first-serve points, converted five of 11 break points and outpointed Salisbury and Skupski 103-84.

It was the 183rd win at tour-level for Granollers and Zeballo. Their title victory improved their win-loss record this season to 17-5.

Zeballos became just the fifth doubles player to win a major title in the Oper Era after turning 40.

Around Stade Roland-Garros

• Former French Open champions Justine Henin presented the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen to the women’s singles champion Saturday. On Sunday, Andre Agassi will present the men’s singles trophies at Roland-Garros.

Henin won the French Open four times (2003, 2005-07), while Agassi lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 1999. He was also twice a runner-up in Paris.

• Unseeded Lilli Tagger of Austria won the junior girls’ singles title over No. 8 seed Hannah Klugman of Great Britain, in one hour and 17 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The junior world No. 47 Tagger hit 19 winners, converted five of 13 break points and outpointed Klugman 67-43. The 17-year-old Tagger, who became the first Austrian to win a Roland-Garros junior singles title – something that eluded Austrian greats Thomas Muster and Dominic Thiem – didn’t drop a set through the draw and beat five junior Top-20 players.

• In an all-German junior boys’ singles final, Niels McDonald defeated Max Schoenhaus in a battle of 17-year-olds, 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-3, in one hour and 40 minutes on Court Simonne-Mathieu. The junior world No. 28 hit 18 winners, converted four of five break points and outpointed his opponent 97-71. McDonald became the third German player to the Roland-Garros junior boys’ singles title – and first since 1997 champion Daniel Elsner. He’s the first German junior – boy or girl – since Annika Beck in 2012 – to win at Roland-Garros. He’s also the first unseeded player to win the Roland-Garros junior boys’ title since Geoffrey Blancaneaux in 2016.

• Unseeded Eva Bennemann and Sonja Zhenikhova of Germany upset No. 3 seeds Alena Kovackova and Jana Kovackova of Czechia, 4-6, 6-4, 10-8, in one hour and 32 minutes on Court 6 to win the junior girls’ doubles title.

• No. 2 seeds Oskari Paldanius of Finland and Alan Wazny of Poland defeated No. 7 seeds Noah Johnston and Benjamin Willwerth of the United States, 6-2, 6-3, in 61 minutes on Court 6 to win the junior boys’ doubles title.

• In a battle of the top two seeds, No. 1 seed Yui Kamiji of Japan defeated No. 2 seed Aniek Van Koot of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-2, in 70 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, to win the women’s wheelchair singles title. Kamiji hit 19 winners, converted seven of 13 break points and outpointed Van Koot 58-34 in their 72nd lifetime meeting (head-to-head: Kamiji leads 51-21) – and 20th meeting at a Grand Slam. It was their fifth meeting in a Grand Slam final and Kamiji has won all five of them. Kamiji has now won 10 Grand Slam singles titles – five of them at Roland-Garros. She also won the 2024 Paralympic gold medal.

• In another battle of top-2 seeds, 19-year-old No. 1 seed Tokito Oda of Japan beat No. 2 seed Alfie Hewett of Great Britain, 6-4, 7-6 (6) in one hour and 39 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to complete a Paris “three-peat” in their 20th lifetime meeting (Oda leads 11-9). Oda withstood six aces and 26 winners from Hewett by hitting 41 winners and converting five of 14 break points. He outpointed Hewett 83-68. Oda became the third player to win the men’s wheelchair singles title at Roland-Garros on three or more occasions, after three-time winner Hewett and eight-time champion and fellow Japanese Shinto Kunieda. He also won the 2024 Paralympic gold medal.

• Guy Sasson of Israel upset No. 1 seed Niels Vink of the Netherlands, 6-4, 7-5, to win the quad wheelchair men’s singles title in one hour and 54 minutes on Court 14. Sasson hit 23 winners, converted eight of 23 break points and outpointed Vink 81-73. It was his second-straight Roland-Garros title.

• In the men’s wheelchair doubles final, No. 1 seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid of Great Britain went the distance to defeat Stephane Houdet of France and Tokito Oda of Japan, 6-4, 1-6, 10-7, in one hour and 46 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. The Britons hit 18 winners, converted three of 12 break points. They were outpointed 66-56.

Saturday’s Roland-Garros results

Sunday’s Roland-Garros order of play

By the numbers

This was the first time the WTA World No. 1 and No. 2 have faced each other at a Grand Slam since the 2018 Australian Open, when No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki defeated No. 1 Simona Halep. It is also just the fifth time since 1990 that the top-two seeded players have faced each other in the Roland-Garros women’s singles final: Steffi Graf-Monica Seles (1990 and 1992), Arantxa Sanchez Vicario-Steffi Graf (1995) and Serena Williams-Maria Sharapova (2013).

“Quotable …”

“I mean, this could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was a bit more emotional even in the end.

“But if this was the farewell match of the Roland-Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.”

– Three-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia, during his post-match news conference Friday night. Djokovic said he was unsure if he would return to Roland-Garros after losing his semifinal to Jannik Sinner.

 

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