Coco Gauff’s first French Open victory has ushered in a new wave of confidence for the young American star and she already feels on top of the world by saying she could beat Serena Williams at Roland Garros.
The 21-year-old defeated the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, over three sets to win the trophy for the first time and to claim her second Grand Slam trophy after winning the U.S Open back in 2023.
After narrowly missing the title in 2022 against Iga Swiatek, the triumph demonstrated her clear progress on the clay courts and made her her the first American to claim the French Open since Serena in 2015.
Gauff’s dominant performance included dropping just two sets throughout the tournament, the first during her quarter-final clash against Madison Keys and the second against Sabalenka as they competed for the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen trophy.
Naturally earning comparison to Williams due to their meteoric rises in the sport, Coco is viewed as Serena’s ‘spiritual’ successor in women’s tennis after the 23-Grand Slam champion retired in 2022 and Gauff paid homage when asked who her toughest opponent would be.
“Serena [Williams],” Gauff definitively said, recognising the aggressive playing style mixed with a powerful serve that was once recorded the fastest at 128.6 mph, however, the youngster added a catch to the equation: clay.
“Well, depends,” Gauff continued. “If we played on clay, I feel like I could have got her, but any other surface, it would have been tough.”
Coco Gauff’s impressive clay record
Gauff’s career record on clay stands at 85 wins and 29 losses, translating to a win rate of 74.56 percent, which translates to around eight percent lower than what Serena managed to achieve across her own career.
Coco’s strong performance includes two French Open finals appearances in 2024 and again in 2025, and deep runs in other significant clay tournaments, cementing her reputation as a clay court specialist.
It is important to recognize that Serena’s record was built over a distinguished career spanning more than two decades, whereas Gauff has been competing professionally for just seven years, meaning the woman from Atlanta may only get better.
Coco has also already demonstrated the ability to defeat members of the Williams family, having beaten Venus in her Wimbledon debut in 2019. At just 15 years old, she emerged victorious in straight sets, a result that foreshadowed her future success.
Gauff will now turn her attention towards the Wimbledon Championships, which begin from Monday, June 30 and will conclude on Sunday, July 13.
Barbora Krejcikova is the defending women’s singles champion, and Carlos Alcaraz is the defending men’s singles champion. Fans can watch all of the action unfold in the United States on ESPN and The Tennis Channel.
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