CoCo Gauff being deep in the French Open conversation again should not shock anybody who has been paying attention. As of May 29, 2026, she is the defending Roland-Garros champion and already into the third round after beating Taylor Townsend in the first round and Mayar Sherif in the second. That Sherif win was another reminder of what makes Gauff so dangerous: even when the match gets physical, messy or uncomfortable, she finds a way to steady herself and close the door. The win marked her 80th career main-draw Grand Slam victory, which is wild considering she is still only 22.
That is the thing about Gauff’s rise: she has been famous for so long that it is easy to forget how young she still is. She became a household name at 15, beating Venus Williams at Wimbledon in the kind of moment that felt like tennis history happening in real time. Since then, she has gone from phenom to contender to Grand Slam champion to one of the faces of the sport.
What separates Gauff is not just the athleticism, even though her speed, defense and ability to extend points are ridiculous. It is the way she has grown in public, taken hard losses, rebuilt parts of her game, and kept coming back sharper. Her serve, forehand, patience, decision-making and mental toughness have all been tested on the biggest stages, and she has answered enough times now that her greatness is not theoretical anymore.
So, with Gauff looking strong again in Paris, it feels like the perfect time to look back at the moments when she reminded everyone she was not just “next up.” She has already been here.
COCO GAUFF’S MOST ELITE MOMENTS
1. Beating Venus Williams At Wimbledon As A 15-Year Old
This was the moment the tennis world stopped playing with her name. Gauff entered Wimbledon in 2019 as the youngest qualifier in the Open Era, then beat Venus Williams, one of her idols and a five-time Wimbledon champion, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. It was not just the upset; it was the poise, the shot-making and the way she looked like she belonged on that stage immediately.
2. Winning Her First WTA Title In Linz
Later that same year, Gauff proved Wimbledon was not a one-off. She won the 2019 Linz title by beating Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, becoming a WTA singles champion before most players her age even fully settle into the tour. That run showed she was not just a viral story — she was already stacking real trophies.
3. Sweeping Singles & Doubles Titles In Parma
In 2021, Gauff had one of those “she can do everything” weeks in Parma. She won the singles title over Wang Qiang and also took the doubles title, showing how complete her game was becoming before she even turned 18. Winning in both formats takes stamina, focus and versatility, and Gauff checked all three boxes.
4. Reaching Her First Grand Slam Final At Roland-Garros
Gauff’s 2022 French Open run was a major step in her evolution. She beat Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals to reach her first Grand Slam singles final, becoming the youngest Roland-Garros finalist since Kim Clijsters in 2001. Even though she lost the final to Iga Świątek, that tournament showed she could handle the pressure of a full two-week Slam run.
5. Winning Cincinnati For Her First WTA 1000 Title
Before she won the 2023 US Open, Gauff gave everybody a warning in Cincinnati. She beat Iga Świątek in the semifinals, then defeated Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-4 in the final to win her first WTA 1000 title and become the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. That title felt like the moment her summer flipped from “promising” to “problem.”
6. Winning The 2023 US Open
This is still the signature breakthrough. Gauff lost the first set of the final to Aryna Sabalenka, then stormed back to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and claim her first Grand Slam singles title. At 19, she became the youngest American to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999, which is exactly the kind of sentence that puts a career in rare air.
7. Winning Her First Grand Slam Doubles Title At The French Open
Gauff’s singles career gets most of the attention, but her doubles résumé is serious too. In 2024, she teamed with Katerina Siniakova to win the French Open doubles title, beating Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 7-6(5), 6-3. It was Gauff’s first Grand Slam doubles crown and another reminder that her court instincts translate everywhere.
8. Taking The 2024 WTA Finals Title
The 2024 WTA Finals were one of the biggest “don’t forget who I am” statements of Gauff’s career. She beat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in a marathon final that lasted more than three hours. She beat world Nos. 1, 2, 6 and 7 during that run. That is not an easy path — that is an elite player walking through the fire and leaving with the trophy.
9. Ending Lois Boisson’s Cinderella Run At Roland-Garros
In 2025, Gauff had to deal with a tricky French Open semifinal against French wild card Lois Boisson, who had the home crowd fully behind her. Gauff did not let the moment get loud enough to swallow her, winning 6-1, 6-2 to reach another Roland-Garros final. That is elite because sometimes greatness is not just winning — it is making a dangerous situation look routine.
10. Winning The 2025 French Open Over Aryna Sabalenka
This is the one that made her a two-time Grand Slam singles champion. Gauff beat world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in the 2025 French Open final, fighting back after dropping the first set and handling the conditions better as the match got tougher. It also made her the first American woman to win the French Open singles title since Serena Williams in 2015, which is the kind of company Gauff has been chasing — and earning — since she was a teenager.
