Local favourite Thompson saved three match points before prevailing 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 against Nadal, who was playing his first tournament after nearly a year out with a hip injury.
Heading into the final, Gauff had lost the first set in three straight matches and the former U.S. Open champion seemed determined to buck that trend, serving to love in the opening game and breaking early for a 2-0 lead.
The 30-year-old said she was more nervous before facing world number one Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, a match she won in straight sets.
Belarusian ninth seed Aryna Sabalenka held off a spirited challenge from American Alison Riske to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 and successfully defend her Wuhan Open title on Saturday.
The Olympic tennis competition suffered another blow as women's third seed Elena Rybakina joined a lengthy list of non-starters hours after the draw took place at Roland Garros on Thursday
Jannik Sinner has withdrawn from the Paris Games due to tonsillitis.
Iga Swiatek will be looking to join a select band of players who have lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup four times
Italian surprise package Jasmine Paolini staved off a fightback from fourth seed Elena Rybakina to seal a stunning 6-2 4-6 6-4 win
Aryna Sabalenka said at the French Open that she did not want her country to be in any conflict and did not support the war in Ukraine.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow's closest ally in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, are barred from the Paris Games except for the few who will compete as neutral athletes without flags or anthems.
A US Open full of upsets and hungry, young contenders offered the latest sign that men's tennis has entered a new era
Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens picked up the Doubles Team of the Year award, China's Zheng Qinwen was named Most Improved Player while Russian Mirra Andreeva won Newcomer of the Year.
Coco Gauff said she has tweaked her service motion to make her toss more consistent.
Five top contenders for the women's title at the US Open.
Gauff survives scare, Osaka advances
Three contenders for the women's singles title at the Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek beat Czech 10th seed Marketa Vondrousova to reach the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
Fourth seed Angelique Kerber's bid for consecutive Grand Slam titles ended when 29th seed Dominika Cibulkova defeated the German 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the US Open third round on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 10 of the US Open, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, New York.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz snapped Daniil Medvedev's 19-match win streak with a 6-3, 6-2 rout in the Indian Wells final on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 8 of the action at the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev will play Brandon Nakashima as the former finalist looks to end his long wait for a maiden Grand Slam title.
Elena Rybakina knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells on Friday to set up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek made it to her third final in four years at Roland Garros.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic will bid for a record-extending 11th title at Melbourne Park and 25th Grand Slam crown overall.
'They banned us from Wimbledon and what did it change? Nothing - they're still doing this and this is the sad (part) of this situation'
Big-serving Elena Rybakina will aim to retain her title but other players have emerged as serious contenders:
The real fashion standout is Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old sensation, who has adopted a unique sleeveless look.
Images from Day 6 of the 2024 Australian Open in Melbourne on Friday.
World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz defeated Tsitsipas in the 2021 US Open and in last year's Miami Masters and Barcelona Open.
Five top contenders for the women's title at the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
The first teenager to play in a US Open final since Serena in 2001 there was symmetry to the moment as Gauff rallied to beat the second seeded Belarusian 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 and end a six-year barren stretch for American tennis fans, who were finally able to celebrate a homegrown champion.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz retired injured against Holger Rune at the Paris Masters on Friday, sending his fellow 19-year-old through to the semi-finals, while Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime also sealed places in the last four.
Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, are a handful of contenders ready to swoop in
IMAGES from Day 6 of the 2023 US Open on Saturday.
Czech Marketa Vondrousova will meet Ons Jabeur in the women's singles final of Wimbledon 2023.
Iga Swiatek used an outfit change to help her reset after a poor start and beat China's Zheng Qinwen.
Coco Gauff became the first American to win a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
The five top contenders for the women's title at Wimbledon, which starts on Monday.
IMAGES from matches on Day 4 of the US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York on Thursday.
