Coco Gauff is on the brink of another milestone. At just 21, she’s been a powerhouse at the French Open this year — she took down the unstoppable wild card Lois Boisson—who had stunned two Top 10 players on her way to the semis in Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula— storming her way to the final. Now, Gauff boasts a 26-5 record at Roland Garros and is aiming for her next Grand Slam title. But her opponent? Aryna Sabalenka, the World No.1. This sets a whole new hurdle for her to overcome in the tournament, with Iga Swiatek’s 3 year reign of Roland Garros now broken.

With Sabalenka holding the top spot and Gauff reentering the No.2 position after a string of strong performances—reaching two consecutive finals at Madrid and Rome—this is a true clash of the top seeds! According to OptaAce on X, “The World No. 1 and 2 will face each other in a Women’s Singles Grand Slam final for the 1st time since the Australian Open 2018 (Halep & Wozniacki) and for the first time at Roland Garros since 2013 (S Williams & Sharapova). Battle.”

On June 5, Sabalenka took down the three-time defending champion, Iga Swiatek, in a compelling match. The Pole lost the third set, and the Belarusian powered through to her maiden French Open final. After her match, Sabalenka was hopeful that Gauff would take down the wildcard powerhouse. True to her word, Gauff delivered a stunning straight-set win, 6-1, 6-2.

Looking at their rankings and the upcoming clash on Saturday, it’s interesting to see history repeat itself. The last time the World No.1 and No.2 faced off at Roland Garros was when Serena Williams defeated the defending champion Maria Sharapova in 2013. Clinching a straight set win against the Russian (6-4, 6-4), to win her second Roland Garros title since 2002.

Will Coco Gauff channel her idol’s intensity and claim her first French Open title? Only time will tell.

But the 21-year-old starlet is not to be taken lightly! Sure, Sabalenka won their last clash at the Madrid Open final, but Gauff has been on a roll too. Ranked 361st, Boisson had already toppled world No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in earlier rounds, but she looked out of steam against Gauff. The American needed just 69 minutes to secure her spot in the final against the world No. 1.

And it wasn’t just Boisson she faced — Gauff was up against a roaring Parisian crowd, all chanting for their home favorite. So, what did Gauff do? She told the crowd in her on-court interview, “When you guys were chanting her name, I was thinking my name.” She added, “Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do, but for now I’ll enjoy this one and then prepare for the final tomorrow.”

Not to mention that Gauff was the 2022 runner-up at the French Open. And she’s also defeated Sabalenka to win her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. With rankings and another Grand Slam on the horizon, which is more likely to motivate the American?

Coco Gauff reveals her thoughts on becoming No. 1

After defeating Emma Raducanu in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, at the Italian Open, Coco Gauff soared back to the No. 2 spot in the world rankings. At just 21, she matches her career-high, having held a Top 10 position for three years. She briefly reached No. 2 last summer but couldn’t hold onto it for long.

Following her win, Gauff told Tennis Channel she isn’t focused on taking the No. 1 ranking. “It’s not really that much in my mind because I just want another slam, so honestly, it’s not something that I think about. But honestly, it’s something I want to touch in my career and maintain, too. So, yeah, it’s definitely something that I want to do. But it’s not fully in my mind; I’d rather take away some more trophies, Slam trophies. But that obviously will come if I can win.” For Gauff, Grand Slam trophies are the real prize.

Right now, Aryna Sabalenka leads the WTA rankings with 11,553 points after earning 870 points for her win over Swiatek, who’s now No. 7. Gauff, with 7,383 points after earning 520, sits at No. 2. That’s a gap of 4,170 points! But if Gauff defeats Sabalenka in the final, she’ll close the gap by 2,000 points—and claim her second Grand Slam title. Still, the rankings aren’t her main focus.

Back in March, Gauff said, “I’ve never been a rankings girl. Really, I want to just win Grand Slams. My dad always said, ‘the number, the ranking will come with the Slams’.” She added, “If I win a Slam this year and don’t become number one, I will be satisfied. I’ll be more satisfied than if I became number one and didn’t win a Slam.”

So, with this mindset, Coco Gauff heads into the final ready to challenge Sabalenka’s dominance. Will she take the title? Share your thoughts in the comments below!