GARCIA-MLADENOVIC DEFEAT GAUFF-PEGULA TO CLINCH FRENCH OPEN WOMEN’S DOUBLE TITLE

French hopes Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic exhilarated the home crowd at French Open 2022 on Sunday, defeating 8th-seeded Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to win the women’s doubles title in Paris.

2016 champions Garcia and Mladenovic took one hour and 44 minutes to pull off the come-from-behind victory on Court Philippe Chatrier and capture their second Roland Garros title as a team against Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula by 2-6 6-3 6-2. Gauff delivered some dominant play mid-way through the opening set, taking the match by the scruff of the neck and striking some outstanding winners both from the back of the court and at the net.

A crunching crosscourt forehand set up a breakpoint and Mladenovic went sweeping of the tramlines with a backhand to lose her serve for the second time in the opening set.

A crosscourt backhand winner by Garcia polished off a love break of the Gauff serve in the opening game of the third set, and the French twosome went on a tear to 4-0 from there. Serving for the championship at 5-2, Mladenovic faced a break point and saw two match points slip away, but on the third, a Garcia overhead wrapped up the title for the home team.

Garcia and Mladenovic, who have each reached the Top 10 in both singles and doubles, were WTA Doubles Team of the Year and ITF World Champions for 2016. That season they won four titles including their home major at Roland Garros, and also reached the US Open final.