Coco Gauff Achieves Historic Grand Slam Wins in Singles and Doubles

PARIS (AP) — Coco Gauff has made history by clinching titles in both singles and doubles, surprising even herself with this rapid success. The 20-year-old American soared to her first major doubles title by partnering with Katerina Siniakova to win the French Open trophy. Their remarkable 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 triumph over Italians Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani added to Gauff’s earlier victory at the U.S. Open in singles.

“I think it’s just one of those things that when you least expect it to happen, it happens,” Gauff said while reflecting on her unexpected doubles success. After coming up short in two previous women’s doubles finals, including at Roland Garros in 2022 and the U.S. Open in 2021, this victory felt particularly sweet.

“After I lost the first two (doubles) finals, I thought, well, okay, I reached that point, maybe I should focus on singles,” Gauff admitted candidly. “Same thing, U.S. Open. When I won it, I didn’t expect to win. I was having a really bad year. Then here, I didn’t even expect to play. I think it’s funny how life teaches you those lessons.”

Both Gauff and Siniakova shared a heartfelt moment as they kissed the Coupe Simonne Mathieu after their victory.

“Third time’s a charm. Thank you, Katerina, for playing with me. We decided two days before the tournament to play together,” Gauff revealed. “Thank you to the fans. I know 11:30 Sunday morning is early for most people. It’s early for me.”

The doubles final served as an exciting prelude to the men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev later that day.

“Thank you Katerina for playing with me, we decided to do it two days before the tournament started,” said Gauff, tying her success to their impromptu partnership. “I wasn’t planning on playing doubles, so thank you for asking me.”

Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini put up a valiant fight but fell short in the final match. Paolini also competed in the singles competition at Roland Garros and faced off against four-time champion Iga Swiatek.

Katerina Siniakova can now boast an impressive eighth women’s Grand Slam doubles crown, while this grand win is a significant milestone as Gauff’s first.