French Open 2025: Gauff Gives Fitting Reply To Sabelenka's Swiatek Final Remark After Roland Garros Triumph

The newly-crowned French Open women's singles champion Coco Gauff hit back at her final opponent Aryna Sabalenka after she claimed that Iga Swiatek would have won the Roland Garros title, had she not been eliminated from the tournament.

Coco Gauff clinched her maiden Roland Garros title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set thriller at Court Philippe-Chatrier. The American lost the opening set to the Belarusian star, but managed to make a comeback in the next sets in order to script history, becoming the first American woman to clinch a title at the French Open since tennis legend Serena Williams in 2015.

It was Coco Gauff's second Grand Slam title of her career, having previously won the US Open title in 2023, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Sabalenka overshadowed Gauff's historic triumph

Aryna Sabalenka lost the final to Coco Gauff, but she sparked a controversy by demeaning the American's historic Roland Garros triumph, stating that Iga Swiatek would have won the final had she beaten her in the semifinal.

“That hurts. Especially when I've been playing really great tennis during the whole week.” Sabalenka said at the press conference.

“A lot of tough opponents - Iga. I think if Iga would have beaten me, she would go out today and she would get the win," she added.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Iga Swiatek in the semifinal in three sets. The Belarusian won the opening set before going down to the Pole in the second set of the match. In the third set, Sabalenka completely dominated the game as she did not allow Swiatek to win a single game in the final set, clinching it 6-0 and booking her spot in the final, where she eventually fell short against Gauff in a tightly contested three-set battle.

Coco Gauff gives a fitting response to Aryna Sabalenka

Coco Gauff, who has hardly drawn into controversy in her career so far, gave a fitting reply to Aryna Sabalenka by referring to her straight-sets win against Iga Swiatek at the Madrid Open. The 21-year-old was mentally prepared to face either of the opponents in the final and had confidence in winning the title.

"I mean, I don't agree with that. I'm sitting here with the trophy. No shade to Iga or anything, but I played her and I won in straight sets in Madrid. I don't think that's a fair thing to say, because anything can happen." Gauff said.

“To be honest, if you'd asked me who I wanted to play, it was Iga, just because I felt Aryna was playing so well. But regardless of who I faced, I believed I had a good chance to win. I definitely had that belief," she added.

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek met at the Madrid Open semifinal in May, and the American did not leave any room for the Pole to dictate terms, as she secured a commanding straight-set victory.

Meanwhile, Gauff had an impressive run at the French Open, as he dropped the set only thrice in the tournament, showcasing her resilience and tactical maturity en route to lifting the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup.

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