Gauff stuns Sabalenka in lacklustre final for French Open glory

PARIS :Coco Gauff showed the spirit of a champion when she fought from a set down to topple world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5) 6-2 6-4 in a lacklustre French Open final on Saturday for her maiden Roland Garros title and second Grand Slam singles crown.

The 21-year-old became the first American to capture the singles trophy in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015 and the youngest from the United States to achieve the feat since her decorated compatriot in 2002.

Victory also helped erase memories of her crushing defeat by Iga Swiatek in 2022 and confirmed her pedigree on the Grand Slam stage after a breakthrough triumph at the 2023 U.S. Open, where she had beaten Sabalenka.

"I was going through a lot of things when I lost here three years ago," said Gauff, who has won both her major titles after rallying from a set down.

"I'm just glad to be back here. I was going through a lot of dark thoughts. Three finals ... I guess I got the most important win. That's all that matters."

Gauff provided some comic relief later when she dropped the lid of the Suzanne Lenglen Cup while posing for a photo.

NEW CHAMPION

Paris was guaranteed a new champion but the first clash between the top two women in the world rankings in a major final since the 2018 Australian Open failed to live up to its billing on Court Philippe Chatrier with 100 unforced errors in total.

Competing in her third straight Grand Slam final but first on the sport's slowest surface, Sabalenka broke to love in the third game with smart play at the net and mixed delicate drop shots and raw power to lead 4-1 in the first set.

Gauff was undeterred and broke back from 0-40 down after a shaky service game by Sabalenka and hung on to draw level after eight games as the vocal centre