Despite her young age – Coco Gauff is still only 19 – the American never seemed impressed by the conditions in the thrilling US Open final, even as Sabalenka won the first set with her famous tennis style.
Goff kept her calm and stayed focused on playing her own game. The world number six responded to as many hammer shots as she could from Sabalenka and that began to pay off in the second set, as the Belarusian began hitting more and more balls wide.
Numerous rejections eventually cost Sabalenka the second set and in the deciding third set the world number one became increasingly frustrated with her errors. A medical timeout and physical therapy can no longer make a difference.
Thanks to great defensive tennis and some perfect shots at the right moments, Gauff achieved her first Grand Slam win.
Gauff burst into tears and then visited her family in the stands. “I did it,” she said proudly as she fell into her mother’s emotional arms. A fairy tale with a happy ending in New York, to the delight of an eager home audience.
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