Gauff is the first teenager to win USA’s major tennis tournament since Serena Williams in 1999
NEW YORK, Sep 10: Coco Gauff is still a teenager and so it should surprise no one that she was on her phone in the locker room, scrolling through social media, right up until 10 minutes before heading out on court for the US Open final.
What the 19-year-old from Florida was reading, she would say later, were various comments, negative ones, “saying I wasn’t going to win today; that just put the fire in me.”
As a pro athlete from a young age, as someone of whom greatness has been expected by some and doubted by others, Gauff has always taken it all in and kept moving forward, trying to learn from each setback. And now, at a tournament she used to visit as a kid to see her idols, Serena and Venus Williams, Gauff is a Grand Slam champion herself and a certified star.
Gauff surged to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over the soon-to-be-No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, delighting a raucous crowd that backed her from start to finish.
When Gauff walked into her news conference – phone in hand, of course she noticed that a large screen on the back wall was rotating pictures of her from the match. So she tucked her new silver trophy under one arm and used the other hand to snap a selfie with those photos in the background.
“Right now I’m just feeling happiness and a very, very small bit of relief,” she explained. “Because honestly, at this point, I was doing it for myself and not for other people.”
Gauff, who is from Florida, is the first American teenager to win the country’s major tennis tournament since Serena Williams in 1999.
The No. 6-seeded Gauff did it Saturday by withstanding the power displayed by Sabalenka on nearly every swing of her racket, eventually getting accustomed to it and managing to get back shot after shot. Gauff broke to begin the third set on one such point, tracking down every ball hit her way until eventually smacking a putaway volley that she punctuated with a fist pump and a scream of “Come on!”
Sabalenka had a superb start but could not keep the momentum going as unforced errors piled up and she closed her 2023 Grand Slam run, which included an Australian Open title and semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, on a disappointing note.
“It doesn’t get more dramatic than that, to be honest,” said Gauff, who lost in her only previous major final appearance last year at Roland Garros.
“I knew today was going to be one of those problem-solving tough matches because she’s a tough opponent, so I’m obviously happy with the result.”
Soon it was 4-0 in that set for Gauff. Did not take long for her to close it out, then drop to her back on the court, before climbing into the stands to find her parents.
“You did it!” Gauff’s mom told her, both in tears.
Biden, Obama, Clinton congratulate Gauff
Former President Barack Obama congratulated Coco Gauff on her US Open title Saturday. “We couldn’t be prouder of you on and off the court — and we know the best is yet to come,” Barack Obama wrote. Obama and his wife, Michelle, were in Arthur Ashe Stadium on opening night, when Gauff rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Laura Siegemund.
Michelle Obama also sent congratulations with a picture of their meeting, while Clinton wrote: “The future of American tennis looks bright. ”
“The support I have gotten is incredible,” Gauff said. “Obviously from President Obama and former first lady Michelle is crazy that they were here my first-round match, and now I’m a different person now.”
Gauff and her parents also received a congratulatory phone call from President Joe Biden, who was in New Delhi for the Group of 20 summit.
Sabalenka leaves US as world no. 1
Aryna Sabalenka knows it’s going to be hard to get over the sting of a loss to Coco Gauff in the US Open final.
That’s why, right after Gauff’s 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, Sabalenka was reminding herself that when she wakes up Monday morning, she will be No. 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time.
“That’s why probably I’m not super depressed right now. I’m definitely going to be,” Sabalenka said. “I’m definitely going for a drink tonight – if I’m allowed to say that.”
Sabalenka will overtake Poland’s Iga Swiatek when the new rankings are updated on Monday.
Despite falling to Gauff in the final, Sabalenka can hold her head high after delivering a remarkable Grand Slam season that included an Australian Open title in January before semi-final appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon. (AP)