Chris Evert has hailed Coco Gauff’s “quite incredible” French Open triumph as she revealed the key to the world No 2’s victory.
Three years after losing the 2022 Roland Garros final, Gauff battled from a set down to defeat world No 1 and pre-tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to prevail in Paris.
It is a second Grand Slam singles title for 21-year-old Gauff, who previously beat Sabalenka to lift the US Open title back in 2023.
She is now the seventh American woman in the Open Era to triumph at the tournament, and the first since Serena Williams back in 2015.
No woman, American or otherwise, has won as many Roland Garros titles in the Open Era as seven-time champion Evert.
And, speaking on TNT Sports, the tennis icon hailed her compatriot’s triumph.
“There were tears from her; she could see how much she wanted that and how stressful that whole match was,” said Evert.
“But she found a way. She deserves to win this one. She was brought up on clay and was a finalist before.
“She’s won her second one [Grand Slam]. She’s waited a while for this. When we saw her at 15, we knew that she’d be winning multiple Slams and she’s on her second one right now. It’s quite incredible.”
Gauff was 4-1, 40-0 down in the first set to a rampant Sabalenka before rallying to draw level with the world No 1, though she failed to convert a 5-3 lead in the first-set tiebreak.
However, the second seed was largely on top from then on, with her supreme defensive skills frustrating her opponent.
Sabalenka hit a staggering 70 unforced errors in the final, and a decisive break in the seventh game of the deciding set ultimately proved key for the American ace.
Assessing the tactical elements of the match, Evert praised Gauff for keeping her cool and working out how to frustrate the world No 1.
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Evert added: “She really kept her calm after losing the first set. She’s a fighter, she came back and figured out she needed to match Aryna’s power, she did that.
“She did that and stayed calm under the pressure when Aryna got a little bit flustered and sensed the errors. All is happy in the Gauff camp.
“She proved what a great all court player she is. The defending she did was incredible. It came down to the wire, and she kept her cool better than Aryna, we can safely say that.”
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