American teenager Coco Gauff beat Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 in the US Open women’s final last night to claim her first Grand Slam title.
With the win, sixth seed Gauff became the first American to win a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
Gauff, 19, fed off an adoring home crowd as she mounted a terrific second set fight back and kept the momentum up through the end of the battle, before she fell to the court on Arthur Ashe Stadium after clinching the title with a backhand winner.
Sabalenka had a superb start but could not keep the momentum going as unforced errors piled up and she closed her 2023 Grand Slam run, which included an Australian Open title and semi-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, on a disappointing note.
“I feel a little bit in shock at this moment,” Gauff told the crowd after her win. “That French Open loss was a heartbreak for me, and that makes this moment even more sweeter than I could imagine.”
“I’m just thankful for this moment, I don’t have any words for it to be honest,” she said in the post-match ceremony.
When asked about how she put together her massive comeback, Gauff said “I just knew that if I didn’t give it my all I had no shot at winning.”
&uuid=(email))