Coco Gauff hits back at Aryna Sabalenka on her Iga Swiatek Statement After Roland Garros Triumph
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka may have battled for hours to create one of the most historic Grand Slam finals in recent WTA history. However, their counter punches didn’t stop after the match was over.
Sabalanka caught attention of the media by claiming that Iga Swiatek would have beaten the current World No.2 if she had made the final. However, Gauff has now given a fully-fledged reply to the World No.1, claiming that either of these matches would have been tough. At the post-match presser, Gauff said:
I disagree. Here I am! The last time I played against her, without discrediting Iga, I won in straight sets. I don’t think it’s fair to say that because anything can happen…
Sabalenka has now lost consecutive Grand Slam finals to American ladies. The Belarusian lost her Australian Open crown to Madison Keys earlier this year. Now, the American curse seemed to have struck once again as she lost to Gauff in three sets. She went on to add:
Regardless of who I played against, I had high hopes of winning and had that conviction. If someone had asked me who I wanted to play against, I would have preferred to face Iga because Aryna played very well, but Iga is also a tough opponent. Neither of them would have been a better opponent, but things happened as they did, and that’s why I’m here today.
Sabalenka and Gauff had recently played in the Madrid Open final, where the World No.1 triumphed in straight sets. However, it was the American’s night on the big Grand Slam stage.
How many points did Coco Gauff win?
Alongside the trophy, Gauff received a major boost in both ranking points and prize money. Grand Slam champions are awarded 2,000 ranking points, but totals also depend on previous year’s performance. Since Gauff had reached the semifinals last year, she gained 1,220 points, raising her total to 8,083 and securing her position as world No. 2.