Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have forged quite the rivalry in recent years, meeting on some of tennis’ biggest stages.
That should come as little surprise though, given they are two of the best players in the world.
Sat first and third respectively in the current world rankings, both finished 2025 with a Grand Slam title under their belts.
Ironically, Coco Gauff’s came in Paris, coming from behind in the final to beat the Belarusian.
This was not the first time this had happened in a match of this magnitude either.
How Coco Gauff reacted to beating Aryna Sabalenka to win the 2023 US Open title
Aryna Sabalenka was also Gauff’s opponent in her first-ever major final, at the 2023 US Open.
Again, the American came from a set down to win the title.
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It was a fairytale run from the teenage sensation, who now has two Grand Slam titles at just 21. She is poised to win many more as her career progresses.
However, her reaction to claiming this triumph was an intriguing one, as Gauff actually told the press what she had always been telling her team about Sabalenka before that final.
She revealed: “Aryna is an incredible, incredible player. Congratulations on the No.1 ranking. It’s well-deserved. I always tell my team all the time that you’re a real nice person behind the scenes and the competitiveness and that fire that you bring is what makes sports better.”
Gauff also thanked her haters after that US Open title, in a humorous reaction to any criticism she had previously received.
Coco Gauff’s head-to-head record vs Aryna Sabalenka
Gauff and Sabalenka’s rivalry is one of the WTA’s most captivating, and that interest reached fever pitch earlier this year.
After all, Sabalenka’s reaction to losing the French Open final was explosive and drew plenty of criticism.
She argued that Iga Swiatek, whom she had beaten in the semi-final, would have beaten Gauff, and that the final was effectively decided by the unruly conditions on Philippe-Chatrier.
The backlash was huge, with Chris Evert criticising Sabalenka’s conduct amongst a whole host of disappointed key figures.
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Since then, she has apologised, and did beat Gauff in the recent WTA Finals.
This levelled their head-to-head record at a balanced 6-6, leaving the rivalry perfectly poised heading into 2026.
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