Coco Gauff ended French wildcard Loïs Boisson’s dream run to reach the 2025 French Open final. However, the American now faces an even greater challenge in top seed Aryna Sabalenka, who ousted three-time defending champion Iga Świątek in their semifinal encounter on Thursday.
Gauff, making her first Grand Slam final appearance since the 2023 US Open and second against Sabalenka, recently shared how she plans to approach the challenge.
Coco Gauff Outlines Her Gameplan Ahead of French Open Final Against Aryna Sabalenka
Boisson, ranked No. 361, came as a surprise package in the clay-court slam, defeating notable names like Elise Mertens, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva to reach the semifinals. However, Gauff gave her no chance to settle in their semifinal clash, breaking serve six times as the French managed just eight winners against 33 unforced errors. The American eventually cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
The 21-year-old is now one win away from her second Grand Slam title. She now faces a tough challenge in World No. 1 Sabalenka, who has already won three titles this season, most recently in Madrid after defeating Gauff in the final.
Meanwhile, Gauff’s best this season has been two runner-up finishes in Madrid and Rome, but she has yet to win a title. The 2023 US Open champion explained her game plan ahead of the French Open final, saying she plans to stay aggressive and counter Sabalenka’s powerful shots and relentless intensity.
“Yeah I think just trying to go for my shots and be aggressive. Obviously, she is someone who has great big shots and she is going to come out aggressive and she is going to come out swinging. And I think I just have to expect that and do my best to counter that. But, I think the past experience that I’ve played we had some up and down matches,” she said in her post-match press conference.
Coco Gauff Looks Forward To Facing Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open Final
Gauff and Sabalenka share a fierce rivalry, tied 5-5 in their head-to-head record. Saturday’s final will mark their 11th meeting, with Gauff expressing excitement ahead of the clash.
“We had some that have won straight sets and her vice versa. So, you know, anything can happen on Saturday, but I’m looking forward to it and you know, it’s glad to be going up against the World No. 1 too,” she later said.
Notably, this will be the first Grand Slam final featuring the World No. 1 and No. 2 since the 2018 Australian Open, where Caroline Wozniacki ousted Simona Halep, and the first at the French Open since Maria Sharapova defeated Serena Williams in 2013.
