Tennis: Gauff wins French Open title, defeats Sabalenka
Story by Salim Sani
Coco Gauff won the first French Open title of her career by fighting back to beat the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, in a rollercoaster final played in testing conditions.
American second seed Gauff claimed a 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-4 victory after a tense battle between the WTA Tour’s two leading players.
It is the second Grand Slam victory of the 21-year-old’s career, adding to the US Open title she won in 2023, also by beating Belarus’ Sabalenka.
Gauff recovered from a difficult start where she trailed by a double break, eventually finding her rhythm and benefiting from a huge number of mistakes from 27-year-old Sabalenka.
A stiff breeze played havoc with a serve in the opening two sets, leading to the pair exchanging 12 breaks in an entertaining, if not high-quality affair.
READ ALSO: Coco Gauff beats Ons Jabeur to reach French open semi-finals
Gauff, who lost in the 2022 final, settled quicker in the deciding third set to move a break up and kept her nerve to serve out victory.
She had to survive another break point before winning her second match point, falling to the clay on her back when Sabalenka pushed a forehand wide.
With her parents Candi and Corey dancing euphorically in the stands, Gauff shared an affectionate hug with Sabalenka before running off court to celebrate with her family.
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