It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years.

The top-ranked tennis star, 27, faced an online backlash after she initially appeared to downplay the second-ranked Gauff’s 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 victory, which marked the first time an American has won a singles title at the French Open since Serena Williams did so in 2015.

Gauff became the seventh American woman to win Roland Garros in the Open Era. She won her second major following the 2023 U.S. Open, where she also overcame a one-set deficit to beat Sabalenka. Gauff is the second straight American woman to win a major after Madison Keys also defeated Sabalenka in three sets to win the Australian Open.