After a slow start in the first set, Coco Gauff staked her claim as one of this season’s queens of clay, storming back to upset top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 in a sloppy, mistake-filled French Open final on Saturday.
It’s the second Grand Slam title for the 21-year-old Gauff, who adds the 2023 U.S. Open crown to her triumphs. Gauff, who had split the previous 10 matches with Sabalenka, became the first American woman to win the French Open singles title since Serena Williams in 2015, despite eight double faults and having trouble with her serve at times in the match that took two hours and 37 minutes.
Down 3-1 in the third set, the Belarus native broke Gauff to even the match at three, but was broken again in the seventh game, as the rain started to come down at Court Philippe-Chatrier with the roof remaining open, but couldn’t maintain the momentum.
Sabalenka, who had 70 unforced errors and six double faults, was clearly frustrated with her play at times, yelling at her coaches in the stands after a shot out of play or into the net and nearly hitting a kid running after a ball following one of those mistakes. Despite the loss, Sabalenka will keep the No. 1 spot in the next WTA rankings.
After winning the first game of the match, Gauff was broken in the third and fifth games. Sabalenka neutralized Gauff’s serve, sprinting out to a 4-1 lead and a 40-love lead in the next game. But Gauff showed resilience, breaking back after losing seven straight points on serve before saving a triple break point.
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Sabalenka was broken again in the eighth game, and Gauff squared up the match, thanks to the top-seed unraveling, at one point losing 12 straight points.
In a recurring theme, Sabalenka, who had four double faults and 32 unforced errors, thanks to a nearly 30 mph gusting wind, and Gauff took turns breaking each other’s serve, including Gauff getting the upper hand in a 13-minute 10th game. The hour and 17-minute set went to a tiebreak, with Gauff taking the first three points, before Sabalenka stormed back to take the set 7-6.
Source: USA Today
