Coco Gauff won the French Open, its second big slam title: NPR

Coco Gauff, the 21 -year -old American tennis star beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the French Singles of the French Singles to win the second Grand Slam title of her young career.

The final of Saturday between Sabalenka and Gauff, which are respectively classified n ° 1 and n ° 2 in the world, was the first final of the Grand Chelem to present the two best players in the world since 2018. Gauff is the first American champion of the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015.

The two players fought in three sets. After Sabalenka won the first set 7-6, Gauff returned to dominate the second set, 6-2, before surviving the Belarusian player 6-4 in a daring final set. After Sabalenka’s final flight landed right next to the line, GAUFF collapsed on Roland-Garros’ red clay, hands high in the air.

“I don’t think we were playing very well,” said Gauff in an interview with TNT after the match. “But I knew as soon as I entered the field when I felt that it was the wind that it would be one of these games. So I was just trying to give me the best chance and to fight at every point.”

Gauff had reached the final after defeating the American compatriot Madison Keys, n ° 7, in the quarter -final, then crossed the crowd Darling Lois Boisson, the French player ranked n ° 361 which had set up an exciting race from Cinderella to open. On the other side of the support was the imposing Sabalenka, who went up in place n ° 1 in the world last year after winning in Australia and US Open in New York. Sabalenka had overturned the Polish star Iga Swiatek, winner of the last three consecutive French openings in the semi-finals.

Gauff burst into the world of tennis in adolescence – including a junior title in Roland -Garros in 2018, his first career victory in the Grand Chelem.

The Americans have won the two female titles of the Grand Slam so far this year. Gauff’s victory followed the title of Keys at Australian Open in January.

The final of the French Open between Jannik Sinner n ° 1 and the n ° 2 Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled for Sunday.