The Belarusian tennis pro, 27, faced criticism after she initially seemed to downplay Gauff's skills and victory.

It was 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.

Drawing on the painful memory of her defeat three years ago in the French Open final gave Coco Gauff just the motivation she needed to win the clay-court tournament for the first time.