Coco Gauff defeated the second seed, Aryna Sabalenka, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the biggest match of her life against the best player in the world as she lifted the Grand Slam on Sunday.
Her exceptional mental toughness and emotional maturity have kept her on course and propelled her all the way to the top since her breakthrough as a 15-year-old four years ago. Gauff used these skills once more as she masterfully overcame a set disadvantage to turn the game in her favor.
The tennis player finished an incredible, overpowering hard-court swing with her first grand slam triumph, which came right after her traumatic first-round Wimbledon defeat. Gauff shed tears after her loss to Sofia Kenin because she had such high expectations for SW19. She admitted that the setback made her question whether she would ever win a major championship after her victory here at Flushing Meadows. “I just had the impression that people were saying, ‘Oh, she’s reached her pinnacle and is over. All of it was hype,” she declared.
Gauff has improved on her greatest victory every other week thereafter, winning the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, and finally the US Open title to end the summer.
Following in the footsteps of her idol, Serena Williams, who won the US Open women’s title for the first time in 1999, Gauff is the third American youngster to take home the trophy. Since the Wimbledon loss, she has won 12 straight games and 18 of her past 19. The sixth seed will reach a new career high of No. 3 in the WTA rankings following the summer of Coco.
Gauff has constantly mentioned that to advance in her career, she needs to play more aggressive tennis. But her maiden major victory will be remembered as a complete defensive tennis masterclass. She was outhit by Sabalenka the whole first set, with her forehand stuttering and falling short. She found better accuracy in her serve to begin the second set.
She also chased down every ball, diverted Sabalenka’s shots into challenging areas of the court, and forced a ton of errors from her opponent. In the meantime, she lit up the arena with her remarkable mobility and anticipation. Sabalenka’s forehand started to bleed errors as Gauff’s forehand started to hold up under pressure and respond with more depth.
Gauff carried the momentum into the third set and kept it going all the way to the end. After Sabalenka’s medical timeout, she swiftly took a 4-1 lead with a double break, and she was unstoppable even after losing serve. She instantly fought back, serving herself an amazing triumph.
Gauff climbed into the crowd and embraced her family and crew after slumping to the ground in disbelief.
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