In a jaw-dropping final on Court Philippe‑Chatrier, 21‑year‑old American sensation Coco Gauff secured her second Grand Slam title by defeating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, 6–7 (5), 6–2, 6–4. Her powerful performance not only ended a ten‑year drought for U.S. women at Roland‑Garros, last won by Serena Williams in 2015, but also it marks her revenge on the 2022 final.
A rollercoaster match
It was a tough start for the American. Just like in her semi-final against Swiatek, Sabalenka came out swinging, racing to a 4-1 lead after breaking Gauff twice. And like against Swiatek, Sabalenka couldn’t consolidate the double break (event though she held a 40-0 lead right after), letting Gauff back into the contest. What followed was a chaotic stretch with 7 breaks of serve in 8 games. Sabalenka had 2 set points during that span but ultimately saw the set head into a tense tiebreak. Gauff surged ahead 3-0 and then 4-1 in the breaker, taking advantage of Sabalenka’s frustration and visible anger towards her box. Yet, showing the qualities of a true World No. 1, Sabalenka clawed back, leveling at 5-5 before converting her 2nd set point of the tiebrea, her 4th overall in the opening set.
Once again, like in her semi-final against Swiatek, Sabalenka then faltered. She was broken in the 1st game of the 2nd set and struggled mightily on her 1st serve, winning only 3 of 12 points behind it. Gauff capitalized by breaking again for a 3-1 lead. Although Sabalenka managed to break back in a grueling service game by the American, Gauff immediately struck with a love break of her own to serve for the set. She closed it out 6-2, showcasing her ability to rebound.
The decider lived up to its billing. Sabalenka appeared to be back in control but cracked first at 1-1. Though she clawed back to 3-3, Sabalenka once again handed a break back to the American in a love game, trailing 3-4. She recovered to 4-5, forcing Gauff to serve for the title. On a daring but ultimately undercooked drop shot by Sabalenka, Gauff fired a brilliant crosscourt passing shot to earn her first championship point. What followed was a nerve-wracking rally. Gauff played it safe, perhaps too safe, and Sabalenka, well inside the baseline, hammered a crosscourt forehand winner. Sabalenka even had a break point on the next point, but Gauff saved it with authority. After 2 hours and 40 minutes, and a grueling 219 points played, it was finally on a tight Sabalenka backhand, pushed just wide, that Coco Gauff collapsed to the clay, champion of the 2025 French Open.
“I was extremely nervous before the match”
Beyond her physical prowess, Gauff credited her victory to a mental ritual. Inspired by U.S. Olympian Gabby Thomas, she posted on Instragram a note and a hand-written texte: “I will be French Open champion 2025”, showing her resurgence after losing the first set. Reflecting on her 2022 final defeat, Gauff admitted she nearly doubted herself. But this time, she arrived emotionally stronger:
“When you’re desperate, you’re just trying anything … I wrote, ‘I will be French Open champion 2025’ like a bunch of times,” she revealed. “I remembered the ceremony after Iga’s (Swiatek’s) victory in 2022. I wanted to experience that moment for myself. I recall watching her closely as she was moved to tears when the Polish anthem played during the ceremony. I thought about that again today when the American anthem started playing. It’s been a difficult period, I was doubting myself and whether I’d ever be able to get there. I didn’t approach that match the right way; I cried before the match, I was extremely nervous, I couldn’t even breathe. I wondered if I’d ever be able to approach a final differently. And then came the US Open. That’s when I truly felt ready—ready to give it my all and, no matter the outcome, to finish the match feeling proud.”
Match statistics
Gauff delivered a consistently solid first-serve performance, winning 60% of her first serves compared to Sabalenka’s 48%. On second serve, Gauff won 50% of points while Sabalenka managed 47%. Over the course of the match, Gauff secured a total of 119 points, converting 9 of 21 break point opportunities (43%), while Sabalenka converted 6 of 13 (46%).
What ultimately made the difference was Gauff’s ability to keep her unforced errors in check, hitting 30 winners against 30 unforced errors, whereas Sabalenka tallied 37 winners but a staggering 70 unforced errors.
A historic American win
By clinching this title, Gauff became the first U.S. woman to conquer the Roland‑Garros singles since Serena Williams and the youngest American to do so since Serena in 2002. Her second Grand Slam, following the 2023 U.S. Open (another comeback victory over Sabalenka) cements a growing rivalry and Gauff’s steady rise in tennis royalty.
Gauff dedicated her victory to Black Americans, framing her win as a symbol of hope and visibility after periods of societal flux. Her words resonated especially after her emotional reflection on growing up and facing self‑doubt following the 2022 final. Off‑court, Gauff supports educational opportunity through a $100,000 scholarship initiative with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), drawing inspiration from her familial ties to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. She now holds the No. 2 WTA ranking and is widely seen as a generational voice in tennis.
Sabalenka’s reactions
Post‑match, Sabalenka, visibly frustrated, admitted that mental lapses and the match conditions overwhelmed her:
“That hurts. Especially when you’ve been playing really good tennis all week. If Iga [Swiatek] had beaten me the other day, I think she would have gone out today and gotten the win. It just hurts. I’ve been playing really well, and then in the last match, going out there and doing what I did, it hurts. I think I was overemotional, I didn’t handle myself quite well mentally. Basically, that’s it. I was just making unforced errors. I don’t know. I have to check the statistics. I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls.”
Sabalenka’s comments immediately generated plenty of attention online. Many felt that the three-time Grand Slam champion was being disrespectful towards Gauff, failing to recognize her great defensive skills, which pushed the Belarusian to make so many mistakes. In contrast, Gauff emphasized the challenge of playing the world No. 1:
“I mean, I don’t agree with that. I’m here sitting [as the champion]. No shade to Iga or anything, but last time I played her I won in straight sets. I don’t think that’s a fair thing to say, because anything can really happen. The way Aryna was playing the last few weeks, she was the favourite to win. So I think she was the best person that I could have played in the final. Her being No. 1 in the world was the best person to play, so I think I got the hardest matchup just if you go off stats alone.”
What comes next?
The WTA’s elite are swiftly transitioning from clay to grass as the season heats up. June begins with back-to-back WTA 500 events in Germany. First in Berlin (June 16–22), where 9 of the world’s top 10, including Sabalenka, Gauff, Pegula, Paolini, and Keys, will compete at the historic Rot-Weiss club. Immediately following is the Bad Homburg Open (June 22–28), featuring six of the top 10 players, among them world No. 5 Iga Świątek, Pegula, Paolini, Andreeva, Navarro and reigning grass-court champion Diana Shnaider. Next up in the UK, the newly reinstated women’s event at Queen’s Club (June 9–15) marks the first women’s tournament there in over 50 years, drawing a stellar WTA 500 field with Raducanu, Krejcikova, Keys and Zheng Qinwen, ahead of Wimbledon.
Finally, all eyes turn to The Championships at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season where all thoses women will clash on the grass. With tournament organizers revamping the calendar, including downgrading Eastbourne and Birmingham to support Queen’s, the goal is clear: to provide top-flight grass-court competition in the direct run-up to London’s All England Club.