Sabalenka came out strong on Court Philippe-Chatrier, finding her stride early and pushing Gauff onto the back foot with deep groundstrokes and assertive net play.
Sabalenka quickly built a 4-1 lead but a string of errors and double-faults allowed Gauff to get back into the match. Sabalenka managed to break again for a 5-4 lead yet her game continued to fluctuate between unforced errors and flashes of brilliance. Gauff stayed patient and composed, breaking back to level the score once more.
They traded breaks again and the set, which lasted around 80 minutes, was decided by a tiebreaker. Sabalenka trailed 3-0 but recovered from the poor start to close out the set at the net.
Despite a chance of rain later Saturday afternoon, organizers opted to keep the retractable roof open.
Both women are aiming to win the title for the first time.
Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far.
The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final.
It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years.
Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago. ___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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