Lindsay Davenport noticed a clever tactic Coco Gauff used in the Roland Garros final which ‘flustered’ Aryna Sabalenka

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Coco Gauff showcased remarkable spirit earlier today, coming from a set down to win the French Open.

Beating Aryna Sabalenka in their second-ever meeting in a Grand Slam final, both times the 21-year-old has defied the odds as the underdog to upset the hard-hitting Belarusian.

It was not a game for the tennis purists, with the swirling wind playing a huge unsettling role inside Philippe Chatrier.

Clearly affecting both players, Coco Gauff was obviously the one who adjusted best. Meanwhile, her opponent conspired to make a whopping 70 unforced errors.

Lindsay Davenport was naturally pleased with the way in which the 2023 US Open reacted to the conditions, but also the proactivity she exhibited to unsettle Sabalenka.

Lindsay Davenport praises Coco Gauff’s tactics

Delivering her post-match analysis live on TNT Sports, the American was full of praise for her compatriot.

After all, she had done the unthinkable in beating Sabalenka, who was the huge favourite heading into the French Open final.

Davenport was particularly complimentary about Gauff’s tactics, and what she kept doing to unsettle the world number one.

She stated: ‘Coco came out with a perfect game plan which was nothing is going to bother me, I am not going to get upset, I am going to be consistent and try and get the ball out of the strike zone of Sabalenka.

‘I am going to try to run down everything and let’s see what happens. It was a good tactical adjustment from Gauff after she lost that first set. She got a bit more aggressive. She moved her court positioning in and was able to be a little bit more offensive.

‘That flustered Sabalenka and then the last two sets were all about Gauff just maintaining and holding her nerve.’

How close is Coco Gauff to the world number one spot?

With this victory, Gauff is set for a huge rankings boost.

However, heading into Roland Garros, she was one of many who were so, so far behind Sabalenka’s hefty tally.

Quite comfortably the world number one, by a margin that once seemed insurmountable, fans of Gauff might be keen to see how this tournament is due to affect that race.

Frustratingly, it does not bring her all that much closer to the ultimate goal.

Gaining 1220 points, Sabalenka also gets a boost of 870 to offset that given neither enjoyed particularly stellar runs in Paris the year prior.

So, that means the three-time Grand Slam champion’s 11,553 ranking points is still so far ahead of Gauff’s 8083.

With Mary Joe Fernandez predicting Gauff to now dominate the WTA, she will certainly have to come good on this claim if she is to displace Sabalenka anytime soon.