Paris (AFP) – Coco Gauff said she will try to downplay the magnitude of Saturday’s French Open final against Aryna Sabalenka and learn from her runner-up finish at Roland Garros three years ago. The 21-year-old American swept into her third Grand Slam singles final with a 6-1, 6-2 win that put an abrupt end to surprise French hero Lois Boisson’s improbable run in Paris. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final to Iga Swiatek before beating Sabalenka a year later to capture her first major title at the US Open.
She said she is a much more confident player than the teenager beaten in her maiden Grand Slam final. “My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened,” said Gauff, the world number two behind Sabalenka. “Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one. I think going into Saturday I’ll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible.”
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Gauff said the experience of losing to Swiatek three years ago gave her fresh perspective she hopes will serve her well for Saturday’s showpiece. “Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final,” she said. “I’m sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that, making me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position. At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and you know, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise.”
Gauff dominated from the outset against Boisson to extinguish the host nation’s hopes of a first French Open winner since Mary Pierce in 2000.
A much tighter contest likely awaits her against Sabalenka. She has a 5-5 record against the Belarusian but lost to her on clay in the Madrid final last month. Gauff will need to be at her best to counter Sabalenka’s power. The 27-year-old cranked it up in the third set to blow away three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the first semi-final and snap the Pole’s 26-match winning streak at the French Open.
“She can come up with some big shots and big winners pretty much at all areas of the court,” said Gauff. “She’s a fighter as well, she’s going to stay in the match regardless of the scoreline. Anything can happen on Saturday. But I’m looking forward to it, and glad to be going up against a world number one too,” added Gauff.
For Boisson, 22, the defeat marked a disappointing finish to a remarkable first Grand Slam appearance, a year after missing out because of a serious knee injury. The world number 361 had never played a top-50 opponent before this week. Boisson dumped out two players in the top 10 in third-ranked Jessica Pegula and world number six Mirra Andreeva to set up her last-four clash with Gauff. But Gauff proved a hurdle too far for a player who only had one WTA tour-level win before the start of the tournament.
“She played really, really good. She was just too good for me today, and that’s it,” said Boisson.
© 2024 AFP
