Coco Gauff won her first major title at the US Open on Saturday. She defeated Aryna Sabalenka in front of thousands at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The 19-year-old American claimed her first Grand Slam title. With the help from the home crowd, she came back to win after losing the first set.
Oh my goodness, it means so much to me,” Gauff told ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez. “I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That [2022] French Open loss was a heartbreak for me. But I realized God put you through tribulations and trials and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could have imagined.”
Gauff has had high expectations from as early as the age of 15. She became the youngest ever to qualify for the Wimbledon main draw. U.S. News reported that Gauff said this about the high expectations, “People were putting a lot of pressure on me to win. I felt that at 15 I had to win a slam at 15.”
Eyes are going to be on Gauff considering she is the youngest American to win the Open since Serena Williams in 1999. Not only was she the youngest American to win the U.S. Open, but she also became the first American player since Sofia Kenin in 2020 to win a major title at the Australian Open.
After winning, Coco got on her knees to pray for victory. The New York Times described Gauff’s reaction “I was just saying thank you and I understood like all the tough times were just to make that moment even sweeter. I think if it came easy, I wouldn’t feel as appreciative as I did in that moment.”
She was told a month ago that she would stop after she won her 500th title She was also told that after her 1000th title that was the biggest title she would achieve. This did not stop Gauff from making history. Three weeks later she won the U.S. Open.
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2023-09-09/tennis-american-gauff-beats-sabalenka-to-win-u-s-open
https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/38362953/coco-gauff-tops-aryna-sabalenka-win-us-open
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/coco-gauff-says-us-open-win-still-doesnt-feel-real-rcna104334
https://www.tennismajors.com/wta-tour-news/coco-gauff-was-more-mature-at-14-than-some-players-at-25-tennis-majors-262617.html