US OPEN: Coco Gauff is a Grand Slam Champion
QUEENS, NY — Ladies and gentlemen, Coco Gauff. Remember the name. Gauff won her first major title on Saturday at the US Open with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in front of an electrifying crowd on a rainy day at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Emotions poured into the stadium that stormy evening after the match as the 19-year-old American fell to the ground and lay on her back on the court before sobbing in celebration. After hugging Sabalenka, a tearful Gauff ran into the stands to hug her parents and then the rest of her team.
PHOTO CREDIT: US OPEN
"Oh my goodness, it means so much to me," Gauff told ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez. "I feel like I'm a little bit in shock in this moment. That [2022] French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. But I realized God put you through tribulations and trials and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could have imagined."
It was a tribulation indeed. The battle was not easy as Aryna Sabalenka had a powerful force behind her racket. However, Gauff adjusted her game after the first set losing 2-6, and kept her focus!
In fact, Gauff’s poised focus looked unshakable as she persevered round after round. The focus was extremely evident, especially after Thursday night’s match. It was a drama-filled night in Queens, while Coco Gauff battled Karolina Muchova on Thursday night. After shaking off a 50-minute delay caused by climate protesters, Gauff defeated Muchova reaching her first US Open Final. The match started off well for Gauff as she led 6-4-1-0 when it was interrupted by a disturbance in the audience from four people wearing t-shirts that wrote 'End Fossil Fuels'. Security was quickly on the scene and removed three of the protesters, but the fourth took longer as they had glued their feet to the floor.
In the end, Gauff won it all and had to clap back at her doubters.
"I want to say honestly thank you to the people who didn't believe in me," Gauff said. "A month ago, I won a 500 title and people said, I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a 1000 title and people were saying that was the biggest it was going to get. So three weeks later, I'm here with this trophy right now.
Gauff is now the youngest American to win the Grand Slam Champion since Serena Williams in 1999. Williams was 17 and Gauff 19, only showing this is only the beginning for this new star.
Keep a close eye on this one!
