By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, June 7, 2025
Photograph credit score: Julien De Rosa/AFP/Getty
Tears trickled down her cheeks as an anguished Aryna Sabalenka tried to make sense of the emotional wreckage.
Within the first French Open closing between the world’s high two girls in 12 years, No. 2 Coco Gauff was just too powerful for No. 1 Sabalenka at crunch time as we speak.
A resilient Coco Gauff combated Aryna Sabalenka’s fierce energy with pure poise pulling off a 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 comeback to seize her maiden Roland Garros championship in a thriller.
Afterward, the world’s finest participant known as it her worst closing.
“It was actually actually the worst tennis I’ve performed within the final, I do not know, within the final I do not know what number of month,” Sabalenka informed the media in Paris afterward. “Circumstances have been horrible, and he or she merely was higher in these situations than me. I feel it was the worst closing I ever performed.”
Contesting her third straight main closing, Sabalenka fell to 3-3 lifetime in Grand Slam title matches.
The 21-year-old Gauff improved to 6-5 lifetime vs. Sabalenka displaying she’s not petrified of the Belarusian’s energy and exuding a love of a superb combat slightly than fretting the battle when it will get tight.
After gutting out the opening set tiebreaker, Sabalenka spent a lot of this match preventing battles on a number of fronts.
The highest seed was making an attempt to tame her drives amid a tempestuous wind that typically gusted previous 25 mph, pierce the speedy Gauff’s vaunted protection and talent making her opponent play yet one more ball, and soothe the volcanic mood that erupted at occasions as her dream dissolved within the filth.
Regardless of all that drama and self-sabotage, Sabalenka nonetheless fought again from 1-3 down within the decider and gained a break level within the closing sport earlier than Gauff drew two closing errors to shut a someday sloppy, however persistently pulsating closing in two hours, 38 minutes.
The highest seed stated at occasions she felt the tennis universe was taking part in a cosmic joke on her with Gauff’s working retrievals turning Sabalenka’s damaging drives into punch traces.
“I imply, actually typically it felt like she was hitting the ball from the body,” Sabalenka stated. “One way or the other magically the ball lands within the court docket, and also you form of, like, on the again foot.
“It felt like a joke, actually, like anyone from above was simply staying there laughing, like, let’s examine in the event you can deal with this. And I could not as we speak.
“I actually hope the subsequent time we play, if it is going to be the identical situations, I will play most likely just a little bit smarter, not over-rush issues, and yeah, attempt to keep there and attempt to combat.”
Many will slam Sabalenka for her post-match remarks, however it’s vital to use some perspective, too.
The adrenaline from this battle was nonetheless coursing by means of her veins when Sabalenka walked into her post-match presser. Looking back, she have been wiser to take a break to attempt to let feelings subside and clear her head earlier than assembly the media. It was Sabalenka’s second straight Slam closing loss to an underdog American opponent following Madison Keys’ epic Australian Open closing upset, which solely added to the anguish because the three-time Grand Slam champion might have been midway to a calendar Grand Slam.
A brave Keys dethroned two-time defending champion Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in an inspirational AO showdown pitting premier energy gamers that escalated into gorgeous slugfest on Rod Laver Enviornment.
The Nineteenth-seeded Keys drilled a diagonal forehand winner closing the primary girls’s main closing to go to 5-all within the decider since Serena Williams edged Victoria Azarenka within the 2012 US Open closing.
So Sabalenka was favored within the final two main finals solely to fall frustratingly quick.
On the similar time, Sabalenka aspires to be an all-surface champion.
One cause she has but to win a serious on clay or grass is these pure surfaces current variable and the lady who can create chaos for opponents hasn’t proven the abilities to grasp unruly situations on slippery surfaces. That is what being an all-surface champion requires although so it’s a must to confront the problem slightly than simply complain about it.
If Sabalenka ever evaluations a replay of this match, she is going to see areas of enchancment tactically, emotionally and competitively. Gauff performed cleaner tennis amid chaotic situations, committing 40 fewer unforced errors and stamping seven love video games in comparison with two for Sabalenka.
When stress got here, Sabalenka tried to unravel it by squeezing pictures nearer to the traces—particularly on her down the road drives. As a substitute, she scattered 70 unforced errors.
You’ll be able to’t fault Sabalenka for focusing on Gauff’s weaker forehand wing—it’s a typical tactic and the world is aware of the Delray Seaside-born baseliner possesses probably the most damaging two-handed backhands within the sport—however to serve almost completely to that forehand on the deuce court docket, the Belarusian mainly performed Gauff right into a groove on that forehand return. She’s No. 2 on the planet in the event you’re telegraphing your serve to her all through the match, what do you suppose will occur?
The US Open champion is a worthy world No. 1, however Gauff was clearly the extra composed competitor who met each disaster level as a problem she might clear up, whereas Sabalenka was grunting, screaming and typically wailing at her field wanting just a little like a flustered contender fretting her time on the salmon stage slightly than the world’s premier participant.
This loss will sting for fairly a very long time.
A disconsolate Sabalenka stated she is going to deal with the ache with a panacea: Tequila and Gummy Bears.
Hopefully for the Belarusian, bears and booze will chase the Grand Slam ghosts away.
“I have already got a flight booked to Mykonos and alcohol, sugar,” Sabalenka stated. “I simply want couple of days to utterly overlook about this loopy world and this loopy—if I might swear, I might swear proper now, however this loopy factor that occurred as we speak…
“Tequila, gummy bears, and I do not know, swimming, being just like the vacationer for couple of days.”
