Coco Gauff Claims Second Grand Slam Title with Gritty Comeback Win at 2025 French Open

Gauff lifts her first French Open trophy

Coco Gauff has secured her second career Grand Slam title with a hard-fought victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 French Open final on Saturday. The 21-year-old American, ranked No. 2 in the world, triumphed 6(5)-7(7), 6-2, 6-4 on the clay courts of Roland-Garros.

The championship marks a full-circle moment for Gauff, who reached the French Open final in 2022 but suffered a straight-sets defeat to Iga Światek. This time, under windy skies with rain in the forecast, Gauff emerged victorious in a rollercoaster match filled with dramatic momentum shifts.

Sabalenka, making her debut appearance in a French Open final, came out dominant, quickly taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. Gauff responded with resilience, clawing her way back to force a tiebreaker. Despite her efforts, Sabalenka edged out the set with her characteristic power game, though signs of frustration began to surface.

COCO GAUFF ROLAND-GARROS CHAMPION

In the second set, Gauff took control, dictating pace and exploiting Sabalenka’s growing unforced error count. Gauff’s speed, tactical movement, and mental poise turned the tide as she won the set convincingly, 6-2.

The third set saw a tight battle, with Gauff taking an early advantage but Sabalenka remaining within striking distance. However, Sabalenka struggled with consistency, committing a staggering 70 unforced errors over the course of the match—errors that Gauff capitalized on to keep her momentum alive.

In a tense final game, Gauff missed her first championship point but steadied herself, eventually sealing the win when Sabalenka sent a forehand just beyond the baseline. Overcome with emotion, Gauff collapsed to the court in celebration.

Gauff lifts her first French Open trophy

Her win makes her the first American woman to win the French Open since Serena Williams lifted the trophy in 2015. Gauff also repeated a familiar result: her first major title came at the 2023 U.S. Open, where she also defeated Sabalenka in a three-set comeback.

Despite the loss, Sabalenka—who thrives more on hard courts than clay—remains a formidable force and will look to bounce back at the upcoming summer tournaments. The 27-year-old reigning U.S. Open champion was visibly emotional during the trophy ceremony, acknowledging the milestone of reaching her first French Open final.

Gauff, in her post-match speech, thanked the Parisian crowd for their support, joking, “I don’t know what I did to deserve so much love from a French crowd.” She also quoted rapper Tyler, the Creator, paraphrasing a lyric to reflect her journey and mindset: “If I ever told you that I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying.”

With this win, Gauff further cements her place among the elite in women’s tennis and continues her ascent as a new face of American tennis excellence.