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By Matt Levine
Contributing Sports Writer
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Tennis star Coco Gauff claimed her first French Open title after taking down the No. 1 player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka. The final was a competitive match with scores of 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 coming in.
Gauff now leads the all-time series with Sabalenka 6-5, and she has won three of the last eight majors overall. Sabalenka looked sluggish and sloppy at times, allowing Gauff to push for the comeback win.
But after the fact, many fans were appalled by comments coming from Sabalenka. Sabalenka seemed to insinuate that the win from Gauff was more about her making mistakes than anything.
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'I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes'
I think it was more windy. Also I think I was over emotional. Today I didn't handle myself quite well mentally. Basically that's it. I was just making unforced errors. I don't know. I have to check the statistics. I think she won the match not because she played incredible. Just because I made all of those mistakes, if you look from the outside, from kind of easy balls."
Many fans took to social media to express feelings on the situation.
Sabalenka had been on a nice run before the loss to Gauff. She had won three of the last eight majors and was the most successful women's singles player in 2025.
It seems that she let the emotion from the loss get to her, and it took over in how she discussed the match. But she made multiple mistakes down the stretch, and it allowed Gauff to rally for the win.
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In contrast, Gauff congratulated her opponent after the big win.
"I want to congratulate Aryna, you deserve all the results that you have," Gauff said after kissing the trophy and pausing for the national anthem near center court. "I want to thank my team ... you remind me there's more to life than tennis, and I think that's what makes me play better on the court. Thanks to the crowd for cheering for me so hard. I don't know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd, but I appreciate you guys."
The two have been semi-rivals for some time now, and this match just enhanced everything. This win marked the second singles Grand Slam victory for Gauff, and her legacy continues to grow.
For more Tennis news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.
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