Izuchukwu Okosi
American Coco Gauff stormed to her first French Open title Saturday evening after she beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 to become her country’s first winner of the title since Serena Williams in 2015.
Gauff, 21, was resilient despite the onslaught from Sabalenka and the victory marked her second Grand Slam triumph.
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Gauff spoke gave a philosophical response when she spoke in the aftermath of the victory.
“I didn’t think honestly that I could do it,” Gauff gushed as she received the trophy from four-time champion Justine Henin.
“But I’d like to quote American rap star Tyler the Creator, who said: ‘If I ever told you that I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying. I think I was lying to myself, because I could do it.
“I also 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. 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, like, I’ve just got to go for it and try my best to get through the match. That’s what I did.”
Gauff was congratulated on social media by many celebrities and politicians including former USA President, Barack Obama and former first lady, Michelle Obama, and said she hoped she had given people at home something to cheer about.
“There’s a lot going on in our country right now with things,” she said. “But just to be able to be a representation of that and a representation of, I guess people that look like me in America who maybe don’t feel as supported during this time period, and so just being that reflection of hope and light for those people.”
Sabalenka took an early 4-1 40-0 lead and taking the first set on the tiebreak despite failing to serve it out twice.
But the Belarusian committed too many unforced errors — 70 in all — as Gauff fought back and then held her nerve under intense pressure in the final set.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
