When can Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka meet at the French Open 2024? Can we see a repeat of their titanic tussle in New YorkÂ
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka were placed in opposite halves of the draw at the 2024 French Open. With no chance of them facing off prior to the final, a re-match of their US Open epic from last year could very likely be on the cards should they make it safely through to the summit clash.
The draw was officially announced on Thursday, May 23, with Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina occupying the top 4 seeds. Swiatek and Gauff were placed in the top half, while Sabaleka and Rybakina were placed together in the bottom half.
Coco Gauff heads into Paris with a 25-8 match record so far this year and one title that she won at the start of the season in Auckland. She is 7-3 on the clay this year and has reached the semifinals in Rome in the lead-up to the French Open.
The American will kick off her campaign in the French capital against a qualifier or lucky loser. She will find out who it is after the conclusion of the qualifying rounds on Friday, May 24. She could potentially run into Beatriz Haddad Maia in the fourth round and Ons Jabeur in the quarters. A blockbuster clash with Iga Swiatek could be on the cards should both of them make it safely through.
Aryna Sabalenka, on the other hand, has been in sublime form heading into Paris. She's finished runner-up in both Madrid and Rome, losing out to World No. 1 Swiatek on both occasions. Sabalenka is 25-7 this season and has won the only major so far this year, the Australian Open.
In contention to make her third straight major final and join the elite company of Serena Williams, Sabalenka will first have to get past Russian teen Erika Andreeva. The likes of Maria Sakkari, Elena Rybakina, and Zheng Qinwen also lurk in her half of the draw.
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have met 7 times on tour
Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have faced off seven times so far in their budding rivalry, out of which two were at the Grand Slams.
They last went to battle in the semifinal of the Australian Open earlier this year. Sabalenka won that contest 7-6 (2), 6-4 en route to her second Grand Slam title. The previous year, Gauff defeated Sabalenka to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open with a thrilling 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory.
Their first-ever encounter dates back to 2020. Gauff won that one in a grueling three-setter 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4. Sabalenka got her revenge when they met for a second time in Ostrava later that year, sealing a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2) win. Gauff won their third encounter in Rome the following year with a 7-5, 6-3 scoreline.
She went on to win their fourth encounter too in Toronto in 2022. Sabalenka got her back in Indian Wells the following year, dropping just 4 games en route to a 6-4, 6-0 win.