Preview WTA Final Roland Garros 2025: Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff renew rivalry for the crown

This Saturday, the Roland Garros women's final will be played, featuring Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff as protagonists for the second time in a Grand Slam final, a repeat of the 2023 US Open final. They hold a 5-5 head-to-head record, and their last encounter was in the Madrid Open final a month ago, with a victory for the Belarusian.

In terms of ranking, they were the two favorites, world No. 1 vs. world No. 2, both making good on their favoritism to advance to another major final. Sabalenka was responsible for eliminating three-time defending champion Swiatek in the semifinals, while Gauff dispatched local surprise Lois Boisson.

The world No. 1 will arrive at the final with maximum confidence after defeating four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek in a remarkable semifinal performance. The Belarusian snapped Swiatek's 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros and deepened the crisis for her biggest rival, who suffered only her third defeat in the tournament (record 40-3).

Before facing the Pole, she hadn't dropped a set on her way, eliminating a couple of rivals who had previously troubled her. She breezed through the first week, defeating Rakhimova, Teichmann, and Danilovic, conceding an average of three games per match.

In the fourth round, she faced a tough draw against Amanda Anisimova, an American who arrived with a positive head-to-head record against Sabalenka (5-2), but the Belarusian managed to decipher her game to continue advancing. In the quarterfinals, it was Zheng Qinwen – a frequent rival for Sabalenka at this stage. The Chinese player had beaten the No. 1 just a couple of weeks prior on the clay courts of the Rome Open and came in with good confidence; however, Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals without major scares.

Sabalenka has a 40-6 record this season and has already won three titles. This will be her 6th Grand Slam final (three titles, two runner-up finishes), with one of her losses coming against Gauff in the 2023 US Open.

Coco Gauff also didn't have an easy path, though she probably faced fewer obstacles than Sabalenka. The first week was straightforward, with straight-set victories over Olivia Gadecki, Tereza Valentová, and Marie Bouzková, before meeting 20th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round. Gauff secured a straight-sets victory and began to emerge as a serious title contender.

In the quarterfinals, she overcame the 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys, snapping her 11-0 major streak this year, after a tight 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1 victory. In the semifinals, Gauff showed all her pedigree to overwhelm local surprise Lois Boisson in a convincing 6-1, 6-2, silencing the home crowd and qualifying for her third Grand Slam final – second at Roland Garros.

The American has been consistent in the clay-court swing, reaching finals in Madrid – a loss to Sabalenka – and Rome – a loss to Jasmine Paolini. While she didn't win those titles, she showed she's a step ahead of most players on the surface, and only minor details separated her from the title. Now she'll have a chance for revenge and to crown the clay-court swing in the best possible way with her second major title.

They have 10 previous encounters, only 2 of which were in finals: the aforementioned 2023 US Open final (Gauff's victory) and the Madrid Open final a few weeks ago (Sabalenka's victory). The parity also extends to their clay-court duels, as in two encounters, both secured one victory.

It should be noted that Sabalenka has won three of their last four encounters since the beginning of 2024. The Belarusian has found a way to compete with a Gauff who had proved challenging in previous years.

In their Madrid encounter, Sabalenka's strong serving numbers were key (69% first serve, winning 68% of those points), while Gauff struggled in this statistic with only a 55% first serve and winning 57% of those points. The American also had 8 double faults, a factor that has appeared multiple times in critical moments. This week in Paris, Gauff has had a total of 33 double faults – averaging 5.5 double faults per match, far from Sabalenka's 12 in the tournament. On the other hand, Gauff has been more effective in break opportunities, converting 40/65 break points (62%) against her opponent's 30/55 (55%). Gauff has been broken 18 times against Sabalenka's mere 12.