With an exciting comeback against her people, the American Coco Gauff she beat the Belarusian this Saturday Aryna Sabalenka in the final of US Openlifting his first Grand Slam trophy at the age of 19.
Gauff was able to overcome a set against Sabalenka, the next world number one, until winning 2-6, 6-3 and 6-2 amid the joy of the 23,000 New York fans who strongly cheered on their young man. figure.
In her second attempt at a major final, Gauff became the youngest American to win the US Open since her idol Serena Williams in 1999.
“It means so much to me, I’m a little shocked now”Gauff acknowledged upon receiving the trophy.
The African-American player has carried the weight of comparisons with the legendary Williams, who retired a year ago on this same stage, since she burst onto the circuit at the age of 15.
This Saturday she made the final leap to the elite with an exhibition of play and character against the fearsome Sabalenka, the next head of the WTA ranking.
The Belarusian, who won her first Grand Slam crown in January at the Australian Open, has not been out of the semifinals this year and is guaranteed to unseat Poland’s Iga Swiatek as world number one on Monday.
On Saturday, the powerful 25-year-old Belarusian tennis player managed to escape the noisy crowd against Flushing Meadows in a first set that she won with authority. But when Sabalenka was moving determinedly towards her first title in New York, the final took an extraordinary turn when Gauff reactivated the crowd with several explosive actions.
The Belarusian collapsed with five consecutive lost games that left her with an already insurmountable 4-0 disadvantage in the decisive set.
“I don’t know (how I came back), I just knew that I had to fight. Aryna is an incredible player,” acknowledged Gauff, who will rise to third place in the ranking.
With a burst of freshness, the young woman made several calls with her cell phone while she waited to give her speech, in which she thanked her family and the people who distrusted her potential.
“Thanks to the people who didn’t believe in me, who when I won in Washington and Cincinnati said it was the most I was going to achieve,” he said. “Honestly, those who thought they were pouring water on my fire were really pouring gasoline on it and now it’s burning very bright.”
“Congratulations, Coco. You played very well, you deserve the title and many more will come, I’m sure,” Sabalenka flattered him, applauded during the ceremony.
“They were able to support me like this during the game,” the Belarusian reproached them, before having to stop her speech due to tears.
Gauff, who began playing tennis under the influence of the charisma and success of the Williams sisters, reached the final in her best moment, with a winning streak of 11 matches.
To climb the last step he had the push of the largest and loudest tennis court in the world, mobilized to cheer on his favorite. Former champions such as Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick and actresses such as Nicole Kidman and Diane Keaton also came to support a very popular player in the new generations and with her own voice beyond sport.
With the stage against him, and the roof closed due to the threat of rain, Sabalenka burst in with force to impose his rules early on his young rival and also on the stands.
The player from Minsk, with her pink outfit in which she feels “like Barbie”, accentuated with grunts the impacts of her damaging forehand and defiantly celebrated every advantage she achieved.
Gauff returned the first break but Sabalenka continued to test her sprinter’s legs until taking a seat with the first set in her pocket after 40 minutes.
Upon returning from the locker room, the local team took a step forward to dictate the points and Sabalenka contributed to falling into the trap. The Belarusian surrendered her serve in the fourth game and, in an atmosphere increasingly hostile to her interests, entered into a succession of up to 15 unforced errors with which she surrendered the set.
At the beginning of the tiebreaker, the dynamics of the final were totally tilted towards the American, who lifted the audience by returning several impossible balls.
Down 4-0 in the decisive set, Sabalenka needed an epic reaction like the one she achieved in the semifinals against fellow local Madison Keys.
The Belarusian did not lose her composure and managed to achieve a break that brought her closer to 4-2, but Gauff did not slow down until she sealed the victory and burst into tears on her knees under the ecstasy of the public.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
