Coco Gauff tops Aryna Sabalenka to give the French Open an American champion

Tennis fans have grown accustomed to American champions who dictate. Serena Williams revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful game and unmatched serve that gave her the immediate upper hand in most points she played. Even the Americans without 23 Grand Slam titles favor strike-first tennis. “Ready, fire, aim,” Andre Agassi half-joked on the French Open broadcast Friday, describing the classic American mentality.

But Coco Gauff is writing her own entry in the American tennis saga. She proved it Saturday.

Gauff, a 21-year-old reared in Florida, won her first French Open title Saturday, climbing back from a set down to triumph over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4.

With the win, she became the first American champion in Paris, woman or man, since Williams in 2015.

“It was tough,” Gauff said. “I don’t think either of us were playing great, but I knew as soon as I stepped on the court and I felt that it was windy that it was going to be one of those matches.”

Maybe it was always fated to be one of “those” matches, considering Gauff and Sabalenka’s rivalry. They had played 10 times entering the French Open and had come away with five wins each. One of those clashes was the 2023 U.S. Open final, which went to Gauff.

Saturday’s meeting was the weightiest yet. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final at Roland Garros since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova. Williams sat atop the world rankings then.

This time around, Gauff relished her status as underdog.

With her unmatched defensive skills owing to stupendous footwork and natural athleticism, Gauff proved the perfect foil for Sabalenka. The 27-year-old from Belarus has three Grand Slam titles of her own – all on hard court – and is the most fearsome offensive force in women’s tennis.

But Sabalenka does nothing halfway, as symbolized by the tiger tattoo that covers her forearm, and the intensity of her emotions on court matches her cannon-fire groundstrokes.

She is vulnerable to bouts of frustration that can derail her game, an attribute Gauff also took advantage of at the U.S. Open in 2023.

When Sabalenka took a 4-1, 40-0 lead in the first set, Gauff set her jaw, leaned into her defense, won three straight games then forced a tiebreak. Americans have a poor reputation at Roland Garros, but Gauff has been traveling to France to train on red clay since she was 10. The dirt blunts neither her speed nor her reflexes. She nullified Sabalenka’s offensive onslaught by becoming a human backboard, making Sabalenka hit an extra ball on every point.

“That’s something I’m really proud of, just managing to get another ball back,” Gauff said.

Occasional spitting rain, wind and heavy cloud cover did nothing to lighten Sabalenka’s mood. Her errors and frustration rose in tandem; she kvetched at her team between points. Gauff countered the emotion with a steely countenance and big hitting – she may be a different type of American champion, but she is still a power player, more than capable of aggression even as she played from behind the entire match.

Gauff’s father, Corey, summarized the family’s mindset when he explained his outfit choice, a black T-shirt with the outline of a lion’s head on it, on TNT.

“They’re bringing the tiger, so we’re going to have to bring the lion,” he said.

In this case, playing like a lion meant playing a cleaner match and weathering swings of momentum better than Sabalenka, who was credited with 70 unforced errors. During the trophy presentation, Gauff thanked her parents for their support, noting that they did everything from “washing my clothes to keeping me grounded and giving me the belief that I can do it.”

“You guys probably believe in me more than I do myself,” Gauff said.

Gauff admitted in her on-court speech she once thought she couldn’t win the French Open. Her first experience in the final wasn’t a happy one: It was 2022, she was 18, and then-No. 1 Iga Swiatek so ruthlessly picked apart her game that Gauff was in tears during the trophy ceremony.

There was no weeping this time around. When Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff’s second match point, she buckled, finally succumbing to a wave of emotion, and covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief. She won her second Grand Slam title not as the aggressor, but by putting constant pressure on her opponent with her defense. It’s offensive-minded players who usually get labeled unrelenting. But as Gauff continues to demonstrate, she’s a different type of champion.