Queens, New York CNN — Coco Gauff, the world No. 10 women’s singles player, has defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 with a dramatic comeback in the women’s US Open final.
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Coco Gauff was ruthless and totally dominant in her US Open quarterfinal against Jelena Ostapenko, dropping just two games in a match that could have really troubled the young American.
Ostapenko, although blighted by inconsistency, had been expected to pose serious questions to Gauff’s title credentials after an impressive run in New York, but was easily brushed aside 6-0 6-2 in little over an hour.
Gauff has once again taken her game up a level this season – in particular during the second half of the year – as the 19-year-old continues her ascent to tennis stardom.
Those improvements were on full display against Ostapenko, with Gauff stifling her opponent’s power with booming ground strokes of her own and, crucially, a level precision and consistency the Latvian was unable to find.
The improvement in Gauff’s physical attributes have been plain for all to see at Flushing Meadows, but the world No. 6 gave an insight into the process of building the mental endurance necessary to make deep runs at grand slams.
“I think it’s unique to every person,” she told reporters. “It comes with trial and error. What I learned about myself is that in these moments, I should not put so much pressure on these matches because when you’re playing these tournaments, the pressure is always on.
“They’re so intense and you always want to win. I just learned how to cope with that better the more I’ve reached this level. You have some people who kind of do it already when they come on tour and some who need to learn.
“I think that’s just part of life and just part of learning. That’s why sometimes someone has a great result, like when they come out the gates, and then it’s tough to back it up because you’ve just never been in this position before.
“The more I’ve gotten into this position, the more I’ve just been able to learn how to handle it.”
That pressure will intensify further when Gauff faces Karolína Muchová in the US Open semifinals on Thursday.
The spotlight is never brighter on a player than when playing at a home grand slam, but Gauff has handled the occasion with a maturity that belies her years, not once appearing to suffer under the weight of expectation.
However, the teenager admits that wasn’t always the case and being able to handle the pressure as she does now was a process that took time.
Among the things that helped the most with that process, Gauff said, was putting her life “into perspective” when she started to feel overwhelmed.
“At first, I used to think negative things,” she recalled. “Like why is there so much pressure? Why is this so hard? Blah, blah, blah. I realize in a way it’s pressure but it’s not. I mean, there are people struggling to feed their families, people who don’t know where their next meal is going to come from, people who have to pay their bills.
“That’s real pressure, that’s real hardship, that’s real life. I’m in a very privileged position, I’m getting paid to do what I love and getting support to do what I love. That’s something that I don’t take for granted.
“So really I just put my life into perspective and especially in New York, I just feel like you see that perspective a lot more, especially compared to where I live,” Gauff added. “I have a lucky life and so I should enjoy it.
“I know there are millions of people who probably want to be in this position that I am now, so instead of saying, ‘Why this, why that?’ I should just be, like, ‘Why not me? Why am I not enjoying this?’ I should.”
Gauff said she is now “having so much fun” playing tennis, and that enjoyment is evident when she takes to the court. “I just told myself: ‘Man, I should enjoy this,’” she explained.
That enjoyment spills over into her interviews and press conferences, too, where Gauff is affable, authentic and funny, traits that are increasingly endearing her to not only US fans, but those around the world.
It helps, Gauff said, to “not think about the results” and instead only focus on having fun.
“I’m living a lucky life and I’m so blessed. I don’t want to take it for granted,” she said. “So that’s the reason why, I think it’s just putting my life in perspective and realizing how grateful and blessed I am.”
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Coco Gauff said she couldn’t “really get upset” with the climate protestors who caused a 45-minute delay in the middle of her US Open semifinal against Karolína Muchová on Thursday.
Gauff, who went on to win the match 6-4 7-5 and reach her second grand slam final, was leading at the start of the second set when the disruption took place.
In a statement, the US Open called it a “fan-related” incident on Arthur Ashe Stadium and said one attendee “affixed himself to the floor and due to the nature of this action, medical professionals, NYPD and security personnel were needed in order to resolve the issue and remove the fan from the stands.”
As the attendee – who was shouting about “environmental issues,” according to the ESPN broadcast – was removed, fans inside the stadium cheered.
Four protesters were involved, and three of them “were escorted out of the stadium without further incident,” according to a statement from the US Tennis Association.
“Throughout history, moments like this are definitely defining moments,” Gauff later told reporters. “I believe in climate change. I don’t really know exactly what they were protesting. I know it was about the environment. I 100% believe in that.
“I think there are things we can do better. I know the tournaments are doing things to do better for the environment. Would I prefer it not happening in my match? 100%, yeah. I’m not gonna sit here and lie. But it is what it is.”
Gauff and Muchová both left the court during the delay as the protestors were escorted out of the stadium.
Climate protestors also disrupted last year’s French Open and matches earlier this year at Wimbledon, where they sprinkled orange confetti and jigsaw puzzle pieces on the grass playing surface.
“I had a feeling it was going to happen this tournament,” said Gauff. “It happened in the French Open, it happened in Wimbledon. So, you know, following the trend, it was definitely going to happen here.
She added: “I wasn’t pissed at the protesters. I know the stadium was because it just interrupted entertainment. I always speak about preaching what you feel and what you believe in. It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it.
“Obviously, I don’t want it to happen when I’m winning up 6-4 1-0 and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it.”
Gauff, the youngest woman to reach the US Open final since Serena Williams in 1999, will next face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka as she bids to win her first grand slam title.
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Queens, New York
CNN
—
Coco Gauff, the world No. 10 women’s singles player, has defeated Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 with a dramatic comeback in the women’s US Open final.
The star-studded crowd erupted with applause after Gauff’s home-turf victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens. The win is 19-year-old Gauff’s first career grand slam and makes her the first American teenager to win the US Open since 23-time major champion Serena Williams took the title in 1999.
“I feel like I’m in shock at this moment,” said an emotional Gauff after her win. “God puts you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment sweeter than I would have imagined.”
She thanked her family, her team, and “the people who didn’t believe in me.”
Bidding for her second major title of the year, the soon-to-be women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka made quick work in the first set, breaking Gauff’s serve three times to win 6-2 in dominant fashion.
However, with the packed crowd chanting “Let’s go Coco,” Gauff raised her level in the second set, going up a break before eventually taking it 6-3 to force a deciding third set.
A locked-in Gauff took control in the third set, going up a double break to inch ever closer to her maiden grand slam title. Although Sabalenka took the next two games, Gauff closed out the match to become the 12th teenager in US Open history to win the title.
“I don’t know, I just knew that if I didn’t give it my all, I had no shot at winning,” Gauff said on how she found the strength to rally after dropping the first set.
In her run to the final, the athlete twice lost the first set of a match, once in the first round against Laura Siegemund and again in the third round against Elise Mertens.
With the victory, Gauff becomes the third American teenager to win the US Open title, joining Williams and Tracy Austin. She is set to move up to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, and co-No. 1 in doubles along with compatriot Jessica Pegula.
After clinching the victory, Gauff dropped to the ground before getting up to hug Sabalenka. Afterward, Gauff was overcome with emotion and knelt down to take in the moment.
Gauff poked fun at her father after the match as she thanked her family. “Thank you first to my parents,” she said. “Today was the first time I’ve ever seen my dad cry. He doesn’t want me to tell y’all that, but he got caught in 4K!”
Gauff also told reporters her parents helped when she would be too self-critical, placing too much value in whether she won or lost.
“I used to put my tennis and compare it to like my self-worth. When I would lose, I would think, you know, I was not worth it as a person. So having my parents always remind me that they love me regardless of how I do helped me today.”
When asked the significance of being the latest Black woman to win the women’s singles title, Gauff credited prior champions such as Venus Williams and Serena Williams, who “paved the way for me to be here” and added she was inspired by seeing Sloane Stephens win the US Open in 2017.
“I hope that another girl can see this and believe that they can do it, and hopefully their name can be on this trophy, too,” she said.
Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Belarusian star will move to No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings on Monday, ending Iga Świątek’s 75-consecutive week reign.
Sabalenka congratulated her competitor, saying, “I hope we play in many more finals” and calling Gauff “amazing.”
The American in turn congratulated Sabalenka on her rise to the No. 1 position. “Aryna is an incredible player,” she said. “Congratulations on the No. 1 ranking, it’s well deserved.”
At a news conference after the match, Sabalenka said the loss was a “lesson” for her and she had started “overthinking” during the second set.
“It’s me against me,” she said. Gauff “was moving really and defending better than anybody else.”
“I was playing against the crowd,” she added.
In pictures: Coco Gauff victorious in US Open women’s final
A first grand slam for Gauff
The last time Gauff and Sabalenka met was in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells in March, with the Belarusian winning comfortably, 6-4 6-0. Saturday’s final was an altogether different contest, however, with Gauff having improved rapidly in the six months that have passed since that defeat.
The 19-year-old has won three WTA titles this season, including the biggest of her career in Cincinnati just before the US Open.
The competition was the second grand slam final of Gauff’s career after reaching the French Open final in 2022, where she was swiftly defeated by Iga Świątek.
Following her 6-4 7-5 semifinal win over Karolína Muchová, Gauff spoke about the improvement in her mentality, going from somebody blighted by imposter syndrome to now believing she is capable of contending with the best players in the world.
She is not only contending but can now be regarded as one of the best players in the world after this win.
Gauff was facing a formidable opponent – the best player in the world. Until her semifinal against Madison Keys, Sabalenka had been dominant in New York – not dropping a set and never losing more than five games in a match.
However, despite defeat Sabalenka’s run to the final has capped a remarkable year in which she won three titles – including her first grand slam at the Australian Open and her sixth Masters 1000 title in Madrid.
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