It’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 on both the men’s and women’s side at the French Open.
The women will kick things off on Saturday afternoon, when Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff battle for the Roland Garros title. Lois Boisson’s run to the semis was a fairytale, but now that it’s over the two best players in the world are left to vie for La Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
This marks their 11th encounter, with the head-to-head series all tied up at 5-5. Only twice have they faced each other on clay; Gauff got the job done 7-5, 6-3 at the 2021 Rome event before Sabalenka prevailed 6-3, 7-6(3) in the recent Madrid championship match. In Gauff’s defense, Madrid conditions are much faster than most clay-court tournaments (including in Paris) and certainly favor Sabalenka. They are also tied 1-1 at majors and Gauff leads 1-0 in majors finals, having beaten the Belarusian at the 2023 U.S. Open (2-6, 6-3, 6-2).
Although the American is the underdog on paper, she has to like her chances not only based on her competitive history with Sabalenka but also because of her current form. Gauff advanced to the finals in both Rome and Madrid; now she is into another title match thanks to Roland Garros victories over Olivia Gadecki, Tereza Valentova, Marie Bouzkova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Madison Keys, and Boisson. Only Keys took a set in the first six rounds.
Sabalenka is bidding for her fourth winner’s trophy of the season, having previously triumphed in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid. She also finished runner-up at the Australian Open, in Indian Wells, and in Stuttgart. The top seed has improved her 2025 match record to 40-6 by taking out Kamilla Rakhimova, Jil Teichmann, Olga Danilovic, Amanda Anisimova, Qinwen Zheng, and Iga Swiatek earlier in the fortight.
This should be a great one. Sabalenka is favored, Gauff has been by far the most consistent clay-courter on the WTA Tour this season and may have an edge in traditional clay-court conditions.
Pick: Gauff in 3
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.