It was an incredible run in Paris at the French Open this week for Coco Gauff.
The 18-year-old phenom from Atlanta entered the tournament as the No. 18 seed, but Gauff — the youngest player in the top 100 of the Women’s Tennis Association world rankings — announced herself as one of the biggest up-and-coming names in the sport with a run all the way to the finals.
Unfortunately for Gauff, her run came to an end against Polish star Iga Świątek, the top seed in the field and No. 1 ranked player in the world. She had won her previous 34 matchups, and she extended that streak to 35 with a two-set (6-1, 6-3) victory.
It’s the second grand slam title for Świątek, who also won the French Open in 2020, and the win marked her sixth straight title in what has been a dominant year.
For her part, Gauff took the disappointing loss with grace, offering a heartfelt and emotional speech.
“First, I want to congratulate Iga,” Gauff said. “What you’ve done on tour the past couple months have truly been amazing and you totally deserve it. Hopefully we can play each other in more finals and maybe I can get a win on you one of these days.
“I’d like to thank my team, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get this one today. But thank you guys for always supporting me, and hopefully, this is the first final of many… and most importantly, thank you (to the fans), you guys supported me even when I was down.”
What a run from the teen 👏
Hold your head high, @CocoGauff! 💜
🎥: @rolandgarros | #RolandGarrospic.twitter.com/97OyIWhUBr
— wta (@WTA) June 4, 2022
Gauff’s run in Paris isn’t quite over just yet. She has also reached the final for the women’s doubles, and alongside teammate Jessica Pegula, she will take on the French team of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic on Sunday. Gauff reached the doubles final of the U.S. Open last year, and she’ll look to capture her first grand slam title this time around.
