Coco Gauff is seeking to win her second consecutive Roland Garros title.
Gauff, the world number four, defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the 2025 Women’s Singles final, fighting back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
The victory represented Gauff’s second major triumph, following her victory at the 2023 US Open.
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By winning the 2025 French Open, Gauff became the first American to win a singles title at the event since Serena Williams in 2015.
If Gauff were to win back-to-back titles in Paris, she would achieve a feat not witnessed at the French Open in four decades.
Coco Gauff could emulate Chris Evert’s French Open feat
If Coco Gauff were to win the 2026 French Open title, she would become the first American player since Chris Evert to win back-to-back Roland Garros titles.
Evert, an 18-time Grand Slam champion, won back-to-back titles in 1985 and 1986.
Evert defeated Martina Navrátilová in the 1985 final, 6–3, 6–7, 7–5. A year later, Navratilova suffered the same fate, losing 2–6, 6–3, 6–3 to her compatriot.
Evert remains the most successful female player at the French Open during the Open Era.
The tennis legend, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won seven Roland Garros Women’s Singles titles before her retirement in 1989.
Evert’s victory over Navratilova in the 1986 final marked her final triumph at the event.
Chris Evert’s Roland Garros titles
- 1974 Singles – defeated Olga Morozova in the final
- 1974 Doubles – defeated Gail Chanfreau and Katja Ebbinghaus in the final [paired with Olga Morozova]
- 1975 Singles – defeated Martina Navratilova in the final
- 1975 Doubles – defeated Olga Morozova and Julie Anthony in the final [paired with Martina Navratilova]
- 1979 Singles – defeated Wendy Turnbull in the final
- 1980 Singles – defeated Virginia Ruzici in the final
- 1983 Singles – defeated Mima Jaušovec in the final
- 1985 Singles – defeated Martina Navratilova in the final
- 1986 Singles – defeated Martina Navratilova in the final
Returning to Coco Gauff, she will find out her path to Roland Garros glory when the women’s singles draw is made on Thursday afternoon.
The American is projected to be the fourth seed in the draw.
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Chris Evert reflected on her final Roland Garros triumph
“I think the beauty of it was that it was an upset, I’d beaten Martina,” Evert told rolandgarros.com
in 2021 while speaking about her win over Navratilova in the 1986 French Open final.
“Everybody had counted me out, I think, as far as winning another Grand Slam, that was the consensus.
“Martina was pretty dominant around those years. So the nice thing was just kind of surprising myself that I could still win a Grand Slam at that late age.”
“That ‘85 win sort of opened up the door. I regained my confidence, because I’d lost to her like 13 times in a row and then I beat her at Miami and then I beat her in ‘85 at the French.
“Then the next year I beat her at the French and I just felt like I could beat her. The confidence was there.
“That was also the year I think Steffi (Graf) was really starting to come up. People definitely were (saying)… Martina was dominant and the newcomers are coming up and Chrissie had had her heyday.
“I think that win, winning a Grand Slam, propelled me to play three more years, I played three more years. I wanted to milk it as long as I could.”
Evert has been correctly recognised as one of the most successful – and dominant – players in WTA history.
Evert compiled a 1304-144 singles record over an 18-year span, winning an astonishing 154 titles.
She also reached at least the semifinals in 34 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 1971 US Open to the 1983 US Open.
