The battle between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka has been truly worthy of a final. In a see-saw battle, Sabalenka took the first set in the tiebreaker 7-6 (5). However, against the run of play, Gauff began dominating the second set and won it 6-2. Subsequently, she carried the momentum into the third set and took an early lead, which was later squared off by Sabalenka. Nonetheless, Gauff kept applying pressure on Sabalenka’s serve to keep her nose ahead. Finally, Gauff served out the match at 6-4 in the third set to win her maiden French Open title. Interestingly, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, predicted Gauff’s victory even before the American sensation got over the finishing line.

Stubbs has followed the French Open closely and has been impressed by Gauff’s performances in the tournament. During the third set, she took to her official Twitter handle and predicted that Gauff would prevail over Sabalenka.

Reasoning out why Gauff will defeat Sabalenka, Stubbs wrote, “I think Coco wins this in 3. Unless her serve breaks down she is playing the better clay court match now. Perfect offense and defense and composure. Sabs is pressing and her stress level is thru the roof.”

In the third set, Sabalenka got it all wrong. Her serves were wayward, and she kept committing unforced errors, which pulled her back. On the other hand, Gauff took full advantage of Sabalenka’s dip in form to prevail in a tough three-set match. With this, she also took revenge for her final loss at the Madrid Open against the same opponent.

Meanwhile, Gauff was left emotional after her maiden French Open win. She proceeded to the stands after sealing the tie and hugged her mother as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. On the other hand, it was a case of so near, yet so far for Sabalenka, who will have to remain content with the runner-up trophy.

While Stubbs got her prediction on point, she also revealed the ingredients for Gauff’s success on the eve of the final. It was perfectly implemented by the young American, and she reaped the benefits of it.

How Coco Gauff got an edge over Aryna Sabalenka

Going into the final, Gauff’s serve remained a major concern for her. Over the course of the tournament, the American sensation had a low first-serve percentage, coupled with numerous double faults. However, in the final, Gauff kept these factors in check, with her first-serve percentage clocking a decent 63%, while she committed eight double faults. Stubbs highlighted this factor ahead of the final yesterday.

She said, “The finals matchup is absolutely perfect. Coco‘s speed around the court and defensive skills mixed in with her heart will be a true test for Sabalenka. Coco has to serve above 60% 1st serves, if not edge to Sabalenka. Going to be an amazing final I’m pumped for it.”

While Gauff had tears of joy, Sabalenka suffered yet another heartbreaking loss in a Grand Slam final and was left emotional. Earlier this year, she lost in the Australian Open final against Madison Keys. Sports can deliver such contrasting emotions, which can’t be found anywhere else, can they?