Sabalenka eyes clay-court supremacy as Gauff hopes to be 2nd time lucky

The French Open women's singles final takes centre stage at Roland Garros on Saturday.

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World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus takes on last year's semi-finalist, American Coco Gauff, as she looks to land her first French Open crown to add to her three Grand Slam titles.

Long considered a hardcourt specialist, the 27-year-old top seed Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris.

She has already won back-to-back titles at the Australian Open in 2023-24 as well as the US Open crown in 2024 but she had never before reached the final in Paris with the slower clay not naturally suited to her heavy-hitting game.

Her three-set semi-final victory on Thursday over four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who was looking to become the first woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win four editions of the tournament in a row, elevated Sabalenka to a new level.

The Belarusian did not change her power game or adapt it to clay. Instead she used it effectively to forge past her opponent.