Coco Gauff has advanced to her first-ever US Open final after winning her September 7 match against Karolina Muchova.
The sixth-seeded Gauff is now the youngest American teen — male or female — to reach the US Open final since Serena Williams back in 2001.
Ahead of her semifinal match, Gauff had already become the first American teen — male or female — since Serena Williams in 2001 to reach the US Open quarterfinal and semifinal. She defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 on September 5 to reach her semifinal match against Muchova.
Gauff beat Muchova 6-4, 7-5 in a semifinal match that experienced a 50-minute delay due to several protestors. This included one protestor who glued his feet to the stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I just treated it like a rain delay,” Gauff said after the match, referring to the pause due to the protestors, reports ESPN. “We had to leave the court and didn’t know how long it would be, five minutes or an hour. It was tough to figure out if we stay warm or conserve energy. After, like, 10 minutes of waiting, I decided to change my clothes and eat a bar.”
Gauff will now play the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka in the September 9 final.
This is Gauff’s second Grand Slam final after she reached the 2022 French Open final.
“It was a tough match,” Gauff said about her semifinal match, reports CNN. “I had leads, lost it, serving for it. It was a lot of emotional challenges in the match. But I think I did a good job of staying focused. I’m just really proud of myself today.”
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