Gauff has mental armour to combat Sabalenka in Paris

As Coco Gauff prepared for her first French Open final, at the age of 18, the American was overcome with nerves and had already written off her chances when she walked out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was no surprise, then, that Gauff was beaten 6-1 6-3 by Iga Swiatek in a one-sided final three years ago.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

The morning after, Gauff stepped out onto the Paris streets and reflected on the pressure she had put on herself. “At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost,” Gauff said, “and the sun still rose the next day.”

Three years later, Gauff, now the world No 2, will return for her second French Open final against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 21-year-old does so as a grand-slam champion, having beaten Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open, but again as the underdog. While Sabalenka is also chasing her first Roland Garros title, the Belarusian ended Swiatek’s dominant winning streak in the semi-finals to underline her status as the best player in the world.

To take Gauff at her word, compartmentalising the emotional demands of another grand-slam final will be key against Sabalenka, who has won three of the last four matches against her since their US Open final. Gauff exhibited supreme mental toughness in her semi-final win over Lois Boisson, denying the fairytale run of the French wildcard and home crowd in a masterful 6-1 6-2 win over the world No 361 who had beaten back-to-back top-10 opponents.