Sabalenka eyes clay court supremacy

PARIS:

The French Open women's singles final takes centre stage at Roland Garros on Saturday. World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus takes on last year's semi-finalist, American Coco Gauff, as she looks to land her first French Open crown to add to her three Grand Slam titles.

Long considered a hardcourt specialist, the 27-year-old top seed Sabalenka, the most powerful player on the tour, will try to establish herself as an all-rounder with her first title in Paris.

She has already won back-to-back titles at the Australian Open in 2023-24 as well as the U.S. Open crown in 2024 but she had never before reached the final in Paris with the slower clay not naturally suited to her heavy-hitting game.

Her three-set semi-final victory on Thursday over four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, who was looking to become the first woman since tennis turned professional in 1968 to win four editions of the tournament in a row, elevated Sabalenka to a new level. The Belarusian did not change her power game or adapt it to clay. Instead she used it effectively to forge past her opponent.

Despite the closed roof that made the ball even slower, Sabalenka's serve was still a major weapon as she dished out a third-set bagel against Swiatek, who had been on a 26-match winning streak at the tournament and is nicknamed the 'queen of clay'.

"I wasn't really trying to overhit," Sabalenka said after her semi-final win. "I didn't really think to overhit and hit harder than I usually do."

It is this power that Gauff, a far more natural claycourt player than Sabalenka, will need to overcome.

A finalist here in 2022, Gauff is also looking for her first singles crown in Paris. She won the women's doubles last year but will be looking to add the Suzanne Lenglen cup to her Grand Slam collection that so far has one major, the 2023 U.S. Open where she beat Sabalenka in the final.

The American does not have anywhere near the punching power from the serve or baseline that her opponent will bring into the encounter but her athleticism, precision and ability to stay in the rallies will be key.

One of the best movers on the tour, Gauff has dropped just one set en route to the final. She also superbly handled the pressure in her semi-final against local wildcard Lois Boisson, coping admirably with home crowd's vocal support for the surprise semi-finalist.

"Obviously she's (Sabalenka) someone who has great big shots, and she's going to come out aggressive," Gauff said.

"She's going to come out swinging. I think I just have to expect that and do my best to kind of counter that."

'Privileged' Gauff eyes French Open crown

Gauff said she will try to downplay the magnitude of Saturday's French Open final.

"My first final here I was super nervous, and I kind of wrote myself off before the match even happened," said Gauff, the world number two behind Sabalenka.

"Obviously here I have a lot more confidence just from playing a Grand Slam final before and doing well in one.

"I think going into Saturday I'll just give it my best shot and try to be as calm and relaxed as possible."

Gauff said the experience of losing to Swiatek three years ago gave her fresh perspective she hopes will serve her well for Saturday's showpiece.

"Everybody is dealing with way bigger things in life than losing a final," she said.

"I'm sure there are hundreds of players that would kill to win or lose a final, so just knowing that, making me realise how lucky and privileged I am to be in this position. "At first I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost, and you know, the sun still rose the next day. So knowing, regardless of the result, the sun will still rise."