Coco Gauff’s breakout summer came to an end on Saturday, when she won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory over Aryna Sabalenka in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The sixth seed Gauff won her first major title on Ashe by defeating No.2 seed Sabalenka in just over two hours under a closed roof. Gauff now leads their overall head-to-head series 4-2 (they split their two meetings this season).
Gauff’s Unforgettable 2023 Summer:
Gauff quickly rebounded after losing in the first round to Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon, collecting multiple milestones during this summer’s hardcourt swing. Gauff won her first WTA 500 championship in Washington, D.C., and then her first WTA 1000 championship in Cincinnati.
Coco Gauff has gone 16-0 in the United States since the start of the summer by winning her first Grand Slam title. Her only defeat during the North American hard-court swing came in the Montreal quarterfinals to eventual champion Jessica Pegula.
Gauff, a previous Grand Slam finalist at Roland Garros in 2022, is expected to rise to a new career-high ranking of World No.3 in Monday’s updated singles rankings, after peaking at World No.4 earlier this season. In Monday’s new doubles rankings, she and her doubles partner Pegula will be co-World No.1.
What did Coco Gauff just accomplish?
The 19-year-old phenom is the first American teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title this century. Prior to this fortnight, the most recent American teenager to win a major was Serena Williams, who won her first Grand Slam title at the 1999 US Open at the age of 17.
Furthermore, Gauff joins Chris Evert, Tracy Austin, and Serena Williams as the fourth American teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era (since 1968).
Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion Sabalenka falls one match short of winning her second Grand Slam title of the season and her career.
Nonetheless, her breakthrough performances at the majors this year have helped propel her to the World No. 1 ranking, which she will officially claim for the first time this coming Monday.
