Coco Gauff defeats Aryna Sabalenka to win the 2025 French Open, becoming the first American woman champion in a decade.
Three years ago, Coco Gauff stood beneath gray skies in Paris, tears in her eyes, trophy just out of reach. On Saturday, under those same overcast clouds, she stood again. This time, triumphant.
The 2025 French Open final began as a storm of its own — a first-set flurry of power, nerves, and resistance. Aryna Sabalenka came out swinging, her blistering forehand carving through the wind, racing out to a 4-1 lead. Gauff, ever the counterpuncher, absorbed the pressure and slowly clawed back, forcing a tiebreak. Though Sabalenka eventually took the first set, it was Gauff who walked away with something far more valuable — belief.
That belief turned the match. Where the first set had been Sabalenka’s storm, the next two belonged to Gauff’s calm. On the same clay where she had once been overwhelmed, she now showed poise, rhythm, and resolve.
Painting Paris in Her Image
The second set wasn’t just a shift in momentum. It was a declaration. Coco Gauff played like a woman no longer chasing a legacy — but creating one.
Her movement, so fluid and fast, frustrated Sabalenka. Her forehand, once criticized, found angles. Her backhand, sharp as ever, carved open rallies. Sabalenka began to unravel. The unforced errors piled up — seventy in total — but it wasn’t just her mistakes that gave Gauff the edge. It was Gauff’s presence. Her consistency. Her command.
She won the second set 6-2, not because Sabalenka disappeared, but because Gauff rose. Every step she took on the clay felt like a stride away from the player she used to be — talented, young, hungry — and toward the champion she’s become.
There was an artistry to it. A rhythm. As if she had finally found her pace on a court that once broke her heart.
One Final Climb to the Summit
The third set was not without its nerves. Championships never are. But Gauff, now 21 and already owning her second Grand Slam final, managed each moment with the weight of experience.
She took an early lead. Sabalenka, ever the fighter, stayed within reach. The rallies grew longer. The swings more daring. The tension crackled across the court. But Gauff’s breath never seemed to catch. Not until the final game.
Coco Gauff has done it 🏆#rollolandgarros pic.twitter.com/wuzFacwxyk
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2025
She held championship point once. Missed. Then steadied herself. And when Sabalenka’s last shot sailed just wide, Gauff collapsed to the clay — joy, relief, and history rushing in.
In that moment, she wasn’t the kid from Delray Beach who once dazzled as a teenager. She was something more — the first American woman to win the French Open in ten years.
The Rivalry, Rewritten
There is a symmetry to Coco Gauff’s path. Her first Grand Slam title, at the 2023 U.S. Open, came against Sabalenka. Two years later, she beat her again — on a different surface, in a different country, with a different kind of pressure.
But both women have evolved. Sabalenka, now 27, remains the world’s No. 1 and the reigning U.S. Open champion. Her power is unmatched. Her presence undeniable. She was emotional at the trophy ceremony — as much from disappointment as pride. It was her first French Open final, and the clay, while not her best surface, showed she could contend anywhere.
Lift it up high Coco, you’ve deserved it 👏🏆#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/6QxafViGKy
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 7, 2025
Gauff, meanwhile, has emerged as a complete player. Not just a star — but a finisher. A closer. A winner. Her speed is still dazzling. Her creativity still a weapon. But now, she owns the big points.
Two years. Two majors. And now, a signature moment on clay. In Paris, Gauff didn’t just win a title. She reclaimed the city where she once fell short — and etched her name into tennis history once more.
