In one of the most thrilling finals on the Grand Slam tour, American star Coco Gauff won the U.S. Open singles title with her comeback victory over number one seed Aryna Sabalenka. With speed, strength and grace, Coco overcame the doubters and showed why she is a force in women's tennis and will be one for years to come. From the WaPo's Sally Jenkins:
"She was just 19, yet the doubts had already crept into Coco Gauff’s young head that she had plateaued or might not quite have what it takes, because it was her fate to come of age in a microwave era in which tennis champions are expected to pop like popcorn out of the bag, ready-made when zapped with a little heat. All this time she was taking to develop — when it wasn’t that long, really; it’s just that the rest of the world is in such great haste that four years felt like 40. Among the many things Gauff did with that magnificent backhand that won the U.S. Open on Saturday — a blast of self-certainty that said, “All right, here I am” — was to restore a decent sense of time.
All along, she was right on schedule. Which became clear with that final stroke, an all-out, dead certain wallop up the line that left the No. 1 player in the world, Aryna Sabalenka, vainly lunging and completed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory that was as much about poise and vanquishing pressure as the opponent. She is the youngest American to win a U.S. Open since Serena Williams at the age of 17 in 1999.
'Honestly, thank you to the people who didn’t believe in me,' Gauff said during the trophy ceremony. '… I tried my best to carry this with grace, and I’ve been doing my best. … Those who thought [you] were putting water on my fire, you were really adding gas to it, and now I’m really burning so bright.'” (our emphasis)
Burning bright indeed. Following her victory, she received congratulations from Presidents Clinton, Obama, and Biden, who telegrammed her from the G 20 summit in India. CNN has a pictorial of Coco's match against Sabalenka.
She's an outstanding representative for women's tennis and for American sports in general, and we hope she'll be one for many years to come.
(photo: Frank Franklin II / AP)
