An American in Paris: Coco Gauff conquers Roland Garros

BarcelonaAt 21 years old, Coco Gauff (Cori Gauff) was crowned in Paris, winning her first Roland Garros title after defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, in 2 hours and 38 minutes. This was the second Grand Slam for the player, a young player who has been carrying the pressure of being the great American hope for years, the player who could revolutionize the women's tour. In 2023, Gauff won her first major title at Flushing Meadows at the age of 19. Her rival? Also Sabalenka.

Three years after playing her first final on the clay of Paris at the age of 18, the Florida player, ranked number two, consecrated herself on the court where she has accumulated the most triumphs. Clay courts are a favorite for a player who in recent years has reached finals where she usually lost. The Paris title comes after winning it in New York in 2023. She managed to react in the match, having started the grand final with a shaky edge. Sabalenka was surely the favorite, having defeated Polish Iga Swiatek, a four-time champion in Paris, in the semifinals. But Gauff was able to overcome a lost first set, becoming the first American to win Roland Garros since Serena Williams lifted her third title in Paris in 2015.

You have to go back to 2002 to find a Roland Garros champion as young as Gauff. An example of precocity from a player who was already standing out at 14. Born in Atlanta, Gauff traveled to Delray Beach, Florida, to have more opportunities to train and continue progressing, just as the Williams sisters, whom she admires, had done. Once there, she attended the Next Generation Tennis Academy. Furthermore, as the daughter of a family with a great sporting tradition, Gauff's coach is her father. At just ten years old, she signed her first sponsorship contract with the American brand Nike, but when it came time to renew it, New Balance got in first. Everyone understood that she was a gem that had to be taken care of, and she was signed by the representation agency, Team8, founded and directed by Roger Federer.

Gauff has also stood out for her courage when it comes to speaking out. She defended abortion rights, opposes gun rights, and spoke out when George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020, sparking a protest movement in the United States against racism. "I fight for the future of my siblings, my future children, my grandchildren. I am always committed to using my platform to fight racism," said a young woman who personally knew Michelle Obama, who was the first lady in the White House for years.

In Paris, she had already won Roland Garros in the junior category in 2018—at just 14 years old—and at 15, she reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. Then things got a bit complicated, as carrying the pressure of everyone saying she would be like the new Williams sisters became difficult for her. Gauff entered a more erratic phase, and was already aspiring to win titles that usually eluded her. Everyone saw potential in her, but the big titles eluded her. Until now.

In the final, Sabalenka came out overwhelming, a steamroller that took out Gauff from the start. The American was losing 4-1 and at times it seemed that the same thing would happen as in 2022, when Swiatek defeated Gauff by quick success, when she reached a major final for the first time. Back then, Gauff only won four games. That would not be the case in that final, where she tied the first set (4-4), although she lost it. Morally intact, the Floridian took the lead from the start of the second set, 2-0 and 4-1, and tied the final that would be decided in the third. With two Grand Slam titles in 21 years, Gauff seems to be proving right all those who said she would be the great queen of tennis in the future. For now, she is on the right path.

Granollers, champion in the doubles tournament

Catalan Marcel Granollers and Argentinian Horacio Zeballos have won their first Grand Slam, after falling in the semifinals in the last three editions. The pair defeated Britons Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in the men's doubles final, 6-0, 6-7, 7-5.

Granollers and Zeballos, who have played together since 2019, lift their first Grand Slam after having played four finals together, the 2019 US Open and the two they reached at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2024. compatriot Marc López, with whom they also missed out on the US Open that year. The pair have twelve titles, some of them Masters 1000s. Granollers has a total of 29, while Zeballos has 24.