Queens, New York
cnn
—
Coco Gauff, the world's No. 10 women's singles player, defeated Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 with a dramatic comeback in the women's US Open final.
The star-studded crowd erupted in applause after Gauff's victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens. The victory is the 19-year-old Gauff's first 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 right now,” an emotional Gauff said after her win. “God puts you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment sweeter than I could have imagined.”
He thanked his family, his team and “the people who didn't believe in me.”
Seeking her second major title of the year, future women's world number one Sabalenka made quick work of the first set, breaking Gauff's serve three times to win 6-2 in dominant fashion.
However, with the packed crowd chanting “Come on Coco,” Gauff raised her level in the second set, earning a break before finally taking the lead at 6-3 to force a decisive third set.
A locked-in Gauff took control in the third set, earning a double break to inch closer to her first Grand Slam title. Although Sabalenka won 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 chance of winning,” Gauff said of how she found the strength to bounce back after losing the first set.
On her way to the final, the athlete lost the first set of a match twice, 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 rise to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, and co-No. 1 in doubles with her compatriot Jessica Pegula.
After achieving victory, Gauff dropped to the ground before getting up to hug Sabalenka. Afterwards, Gauff was overcome with emotion and knelt down to enjoy the moment.
Gauff mocked his father after the game and thanked his family. “Thank you first to my parents,” he said. “Today was the first time I saw my dad cry. He doesn't want me to tell you that, but he got stuck in 4K!
Gauff also told reporters that her parents helped her when she was too self-critical and placed too much value on whether she won or lost.
“I used to put my tennis and compare it to my self-esteem. When I lost, I thought, you know, I wasn't worth it as a person. So today it helped me that my parents always reminded me that they love me no matter how I do it.”
When asked about the significance of being the last Black woman to win the women's singles title, Gauff gave credit to previous champions like Venus Williams and Serena Williams, who “paved the way for me to be here” and added that she felt inspired by see Sloane Stephens win. the US Open in 2017.
“I hope another girl can see this and believe she can do it, and hopefully her 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 many more finals” and called Gauff “incredible.”
The American, in turn, congratulated Sabalenka on her rise to number one. “Aryna is an incredible player,” she said. “Congratulations on the number one ranking, it is well deserved.”
In a press conference after the match, Sabalenka said the loss was a “lesson” for her and that she had started “thinking too much” during the second set.
“It's me against me,” he said. Gauff “was moving a lot and defending better than anyone.”
“I was playing against the crowd,” he added.
In pictures: Coco Gauff winner in the US Open women's final
A first grand slam for Gauff
The last time Gauff and Sabalenka met was in the Indian Wells quarterfinals in March, and the Belarusian won comfortably 6-4, 6-0. Saturday's final was a completely different competition, however, as Gauff improved rapidly in the six months since that loss.
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 final of the French Open in 2022, where she was quickly defeated by Iga Świątek.
Following her 6-4, 7-5 semi-final victory over Karolína Muchová, Gauff spoke about improving her mentality, going from being a person ruined by impostor syndrome to believing she is now capable of competing with the best players in the world. world.
Not only is she competing, but she can now be considered one of the best players in the world after this victory.
Gauff was facing a formidable opponent: the best player in the world. Until his semifinal against Madison Keys, Sabalenka had been dominant in New York: he did not lose a set and never lost more than five games in a match.
However, despite the defeat, Sabalenka's run to the final 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.
