New York: In a remarkable display of talent and determination, American teenage tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured her maiden US Open title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling final in New York on Saturday night.
Gauff staged a remarkable comeback, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Sabalenka, who was set to become the new world number one. This victory marked Gauff’s 12th consecutive win.
In the span of just 40 days, Gauff has clinched three major titles and an impressive 18 out of her 19 previous matches. Her earlier triumphs include the Washington Open and Cincinnati Open in August.
Gauff’s journey to glory began at the age of 12 when she won the 12-Under Junior Orange Bowl title, joining the ranks of tennis legends such as Steffi Graf (1981), Monica Seles (1985), and Jennifer Capriati (1986), who later collectively won 34 Grand Slam titles. Now, Gauff stands alongside them with a Major title of her own.
This remarkable achievement makes her the first American teenager to win the US Open singles title in this century and only the third overall. Serena Williams, another iconic American women’s player, achieved this feat in 1999, a time when Gauff was not even born.
Gauff displayed incredible composure after losing the opening set to Sabalenka and remained calm in the midst of the challenging circumstances. In the deciding set, Sabalenka committed 16 unforced errors, while Gauff made just two. Gauff’s tenacious defense proved to be a major irritant for Sabalenka, leading to a match-high 46 unforced errors from her opponent.
This marked Gauff’s fourth consecutive three-set victory, underscoring her resilience. Notably, Gauff has now defeated Sabalenka at least once in each of the past four years, a feat unmatched by any other player.
During the tournament, Gauff spoke of her idol, Serena Williams, saying, “Being mentioned in the same sentence with her is great. It’s something I’m getting used to. I won’t sit here and say I’m shocked, but I feel like a lot of stats are aligning with her, and people are finding new things to compare. I was the first teenager in the quarters and now semis, so I’m guessing if I win, they’ll say finals. It just keeps going. I mean, she’s the greatest player of all time. I’m nothing close to that yet.”
Following her historic win, Gauff graciously signed tennis balls and took selfies with fans. She will maintain her world number three ranking among WTA Tour players when the new rankings are released on Monday.
Reflecting on her triumph, Gauff said, “Honestly, it feels like that French Open moment (where she finished as a runner-up). I don’t know if they caught it on camera, but I watched Iga lift that trophy. I watched her the whole time. I said, ‘I’m not going to take my eyes off her because I want to feel what that felt like for her.’ Today, lifting this trophy felt like sheer euphoria. It hasn’t fully sunk in yet, and I think it probably will in a week or so.”
During the awards ceremony, Gauff made sure to acknowledge her doubters, stating, “Thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me. A month ago, I won a 500 title, and people said I would stop at that. Two weeks ago, I won a Masters title, and people said that was as big as it was going to get. Three weeks later, I’m here with this trophy. To those who thought they were extinguishing my fire, they were actually adding fuel to it. Right now, I’m burning so brightly.”
