Coco Gauff said a maiden French Open trophy was “one I really wanted” after securing the title with victory over Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday.
The 21-year-old secured a hard-fought 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-4 win over the world number one in difficult, windy conditions at Roland Garros.
“I felt like this is one I really wanted, because I do think this was one of the tournaments that when I was younger that I felt I had the best shot of winning,” said American star Gauff.
“So I just felt like if I went through my career and didn’t get at least one of these, I would feel regrets and stuff.
“Today, playing Aryna, I was just, ‘I just gotta go for it and try my best to get through the match’.”
It was a long-awaited success for Gauff, who was in tears after losing the 2022 French Open final to Iga S