Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus lost to American teenager Coco Gauff on Saturday. Gauff prevailed in a hard-fought match to win the US Open and claim her maiden Grand Slam victory. Gauff, 19, put up a brave performance to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours and 6 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
Gauff, the third American teenager to win the US Open after Serena Williams and Tracy Austin, thanked all of her critics. She jokingly said, “Thank you to those who didn’t trust in me. “To those who thought they were putting water on my fire, they were putting gas on my fire, and I’m burning so bright right now.” Gauff, who was devastated following a first-round loss at Wimbledon in July, has made a stunning comeback with this victory.
US Open women’s tennis: Who is Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old who won the Grand Slam title
- Coco Gauff (Cori Dionne Gauff) was born to Candi and Corey Gauff on 13 March 2004 in Delray Beach, Florida.
- Gauff began playing tennis at the age of six, and as a child, Serena and Venus Williams were her tennis role models.
- Gauff, a former top-ranked junior in the world, debuted in the professional ranks on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) tour in 2018, according to Reuters.
- In 2019, she won her first WTA singles championship at Linz and shot to fame after qualifying for Wimbledon and losing to eventual champion Simona Halep in the fourth round.
- In 2020, Gauff advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open and made her maiden appearance in the top 50 in the global rankings.
- In 2021, Gauff won her second Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles championship at Parma. She also advanced to the French Open quarterfinals but lost to Barbora Krejcikova, who went on to win the tournament. Gauff and McNally also advanced to the U.S. Open women’s doubles final.
- At the Cincinnati Open in 2023, Gauff won her career’s biggest victory to date. She also triumphed in Washington, D.C. leading up to the US Open.
- After Sloane Stephens in 2017, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka to become the first American woman to win the US Open.
