The Roland-Garros women’s singles final promises a thrilling showdown between World No1 Aryna Sabalenka and World No2 Coco Gauff. Both players have demonstrated exceptional skill, resilience, and determination throughout the tournament, setting the stage for an electrifying finale on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Sabalenka’s path to the final
Aryna Sabalenka has been dominant on clay during this fortnight, notably ending Iga Swiatek’s remarkable 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros. The world number one displayed both power and consistency in her semifinal, where she dropped a set for the first time in the tournament. She was particularly impressive in the closing stages, not committing a single unforced error.
At 27, Sabalenka had never been considered a major contender at Roland-Garros, having never advanced beyond the third round before 2023. Yet, given her consistent results at other Grand Slams, expectations were high for her to surpass last year’s quarterfinal and 2024 semifinal exits.
Earlier in the tournament, she had defeated Zheng, Anisimova, Danilovic, Teichmann, and Rakhimova, all in straight sets. This run has secured her a spot in her 11th career clay final. However, her record in such finals stands at a modest 3-7, with none of those victories coming outside Madrid (0-6 elsewhere).
Sabalenka will now contest her sixth Grand Slam final, having previously claimed two Australian Open titles (2023, 2024) and one at the US Open (2024).
Gauff’s road to the final
Coco Gauff showcased her talent on clay by reaching her second final at Roland Garros after an impressive run. At just 21, she was already tipped to perform well, having reached at least the quarterfinals in each of her last four appearances. She came into Roland-Garros fresh off back-to-back finals in Madrid and Rome, though she finished as runner-up in both. Her only clay-court trophy remains a modest WTA 250 title from Parma in 2021.
In the semifinals, she comfortably defeated Boisson in a potentially tricky match. The American dropped just one set on her way to the final, in the quarterfinals against her fellow American Madison Keys (6-7, 6-4, 6-1). Gauff’s path to the final included victories over Alexandrova, Bouzkova, Valentova, and Gadecki to make her the youngest player to reach the finals of Madrid, Rome, and Paris all in the same season since WTA 1000 tournaments were introduced in 2009.
The American previously lost her maiden Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros in 2022, winning just 4 games against Iga Swiatek. However, she showed more resilience at the 2023 US Open, where she defeated Sabalenka in 3 sets to capture the championship on home soil.
Head-to-head and statistics
In their previous meetings, Sabalenka and Gauff are tied 5-5, with half of their encounters going the distance to a deciding set, hinting at another tightly contested battle ahead. In their most recent clash, which came in the final of Madrid just a few weeks ago, Sabalenka saved a set point in the second set and ultimately prevailed 6-3, 7-6 on Spanish clay. Statistically, Sabalenka holds a slight advantage in first-serve percentage (68.2%) compared to Gauff’s 61.4%, while Gauff has a small edge in break points converted (48.5% versus Sabalenka’s 44.1%).
Final details
The final is scheduled for Saturday at 3 p.m. local time on Court Philippe-Chatrier. Sabalenka aims to claim her third major title of the year after Miami and Madrid, and solidify her position at the top of the WTA rankings, while Gauff will be looking to avenge her 2022 final loss and capture her second Grand Slam crown. With both players in superb form, fans can expect a thrilling conclusion to this year’s French Open.