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Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula finish as doubles runners-up at 2022 Roland Garros

Victoria Chiesa | June 05, 2022

On the final day of action at Roland Garros, Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula finished as the women's doubles runners-up to France's Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia in a three-set championship match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

 

The American pair were bidding for their second, and biggest, doubles title as a team: They previously won the WTA 1000 event in Doha, Qatar in February. Seeded No. 8, Gauff and Pegula lost just one set en route to the final, against Hungary's Anna Bondar and Belgium's Greet Minnen in the quarterfinals. Though they were a set ahead, they never led again in the match: Garcia and Mladenovic opened up 4-0 leads in the second and third sets en route to winning their second Grand Slam tournament together.

 

The loss closed out a career-best Grand Slam fortnight for both players, where it took only world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to beat them; Gauff also reached the singles final and Pegula reached her third major quarterfinal. 

 

With Gauff's effort, a woman reached the singles and doubles final in Paris in back-to-back years; last year, Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic won both trophies. Gauff is just the third player since 2000 to play in both the singles and doubles finals at Roland Garros in the same year, a feat that Pegula acknowledged in on-court speech. 

"It's been a really long two weeks, singles and doubles," Pegula said. "Thanks to Coco for playing with me. I've gotten to know her team and her family, and I really enjoy spending time with them and grinding out these two weeks with them. It makes it a lot more fun. They're a great team, great family and she's in great hands.

 

"Congrats on an amazing two weeks. Singles and doubles, it's not easy. I hope we can just keep going in the future."

 

The final was played in front of a raucous crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier, which respected the play of both teams despite being squarely in favor of the French favorites. 

 

"I was telling Jessica that on the changeovers, that this was the most fun atmosphere I've ever played in," Gauff said to a round of applause. "I really enjoyed today. ... I felt like I was at an American football game."

Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images

Mladenovic and Garcia previously partnered to win their home major in 2016. The pair were the first all-French pair to win the French Open women's doubles title since Gail Chanfreau and Francoise Durr in 1971, and also peaked as the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles players, respecitvely, in the world rankings later that season. Having not played together consistently since then, they were wild cards into the doubles field this year. 

 

As a result of their run to the final, both Gauff and Pegula will reach career-high doubles rankings on Monday; Gauff will crack the Top 5 at No. 5, while Pegula will rise 18 spots to No. 13. 

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