The 21-year-old American had to dig deep in the women’s singles final against current world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who was determined not to go down without a fight.

Gauff needed 2 hours and 38 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier to defeat the powerful Belarusian in three sets.

Coco Gauff. Photo: Roland Garros

Sabalenka took the first set in a tense tiebreaker, but Gauff managed to break her opponent’s solid serve in the second set to level matters and set up a decider. Maintaining her rhythm in the final set, Gauff clinched a sensational 6–7, 6–2, 6–4 victory to secure her second Grand Slam title and lift the iconic Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen trophy.

Speaking after the match, Gauff admitted it was tough to lose the opening set, but said it was crucial for her to block out the noise and focus on the task at hand.

“After I lost the first set, I told myself: I’ll just give it my all, and if I lose this match, then at least I can say I gave everything out there, and I’ll go home and see my boyfriend and all of that,” said Gauff. “Everyone out here is a great player – it really comes down to who can stay strong in those tough moments.”

Gauff added that despite the pressure, she never allowed self-doubt to consume her. “I didn’t think, honestly, that I could do it,” she admitted.

“But I’m going to quote Tyler, the Creator here. He said: ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying.’” Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Aryana Sabalenka. Photo: Roland Garros/Clément Mahoudeau/FFT

Meanwhile, on Sunday, a thrilling men’s singles final is on the cards at Roland Garros, as defending champion Carlos Alcaraz takes on world number one Jannik Sinner. The two young players are developing an intense rivalry that may go down in the history books in the years to come.

The match is scheduled to start at 15:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cg