Paris, June 7, 2025 — Coco Gauff captured her first French Open singles title and second career Grand Slam with a dramatic three-set win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4, in a thrilling final at Roland-Garros.
The victory makes Gauff, 21, the first American woman to win in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015, and cements her place among the sport’s elite.
After Sabalenka’s final backhand sailed wide on match point, Gauff collapsed on the clay, overcome with emotion. She sobbed with joy, placing her hand over her heart during the U.S. national anthem and later thanking her parents during her on-court speech:
“You guys probably believe in me more than I believe in myself.”
The win also marks Gauff’s second triumph over Sabalenka in a Grand Slam final — she previously defeated her at the 2023 U.S. Open.
This final, the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup at Roland-Garros in over a decade, saw momentum swing wildly. Sabalenka took a tense first set tiebreak despite 32 unforced errors. Gauff responded in the second, playing with poise and strategy, ultimately taking control of the match in the decider.
A key turning point came at 1-1 in the third set, when Gauff converted a break point following a Sabalenka double fault. Though Sabalenka broke back to even the score at 3-3, Gauff’s consistency and baseline pressure led to another crucial break. She held her nerve — and her serve — to close out the match in 2 hours, 38 minutes.
Sabalenka, emotional in her runner-up speech, praised Gauff as a “fighter”, while also acknowledging the tough, windy playing conditions:
“This one hurts. But Coco, you played better. You deserved this.”
In a full-circle moment, Gauff celebrated with her team and even shared a hug with filmmaker Spike Lee in the crowd — a stark contrast to her heartbreak at the same court in 2022, when she lost her first Grand Slam final at just 18.
“That loss put me in a dark place,” she told fans, “but today you gave me so much love, and I’m grateful.”
Already a French Open doubles champion (2024), Gauff now adds the singles crown to her growing legacy — and shows that her best may still be ahead.