![]() ![]() The 25-year-old from Belarus already was assured of rising from No. Sabalenka came into the day with a 23-2 record at major tournaments in 2023, including her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. “You did it!” Gauff’s mom told her, both in tears. She soon climbed into the stands to find her parents and others for hugs. But Gauff broke right back, and soon was serving out the victory, then dropping onto her back on the court. When they resumed, Sabalenka broke to get within 4-2. Gauff stayed sharp during the break - it lasted a handful of minutes, not the 50 during a climate protest in the semifinals - by practicing some serves. At 4-1, Sabalenka took a medical timeout while her left leg was massaged. Gauff broke to begin the third set on just one such point, tracking down every ball hit her way until eventually smacking a putaway volley that she punctuated with a fist pump and a scream of “Come on!” 6-seeded Gauff did it Saturday by withstanding the power displayed by Sabalenka on nearly every swing of her racket, eventually getting accustomed to it and managing to get back shot after shot. ![]() Gauff earned a 12th consecutive victory and 18th in her past 19 matches, dating to a first-round exit at the All England Club in July. She reached her initial major final at last year’s French Open, finishing as the runner-up, and now has earned the biggest trophy of her still-nascent career. This is the sort of triumph that had - fairly or not - been expected of Gauff ever since she burst onto the scene at 15 by becoming the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history and making it to the fourth round in her Grand Slam debut in 2019. Open was all about saying goodbye to Williams as she competed for the final time, this year’s two weeks in New York turned into a “Welcome to the big time!” for Gauff. ![]() Gauff, who is from Florida, is the first American teenager to win the country’s major tennis tournament since Serena Williams in 1999. Open final on Saturday to the delight of a raucous crowd that was loud from start to finish. Coco Gauff set aside a so-so start and surged to her first Grand Slam title at age 19, coming back to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the U.S. ![]()
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