Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old tennis player, is not letting her young age keep her from achieving great success. Gauff is the first American teen, since Serena Williams, to work their way to the title match in New York.
Despite a whirlwind of a day, Gauff emerged victorious, reaching her first final at Flushing Meadows against her opponent Karolina Muchova. According to the Associated Press, this victory puts her one win away from becoming a Grand Slam champion. Gauff defeated Muchova 6-4, 7-5.
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ESPN reported that Gauff kept her focus throughout the game even when environmental activists stalled the match by 49 minutes. One went as far as gluing his bare feet to the concrete floor in the stands. “If that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can’t really get upset at it,” Gauff said.
Gauff was not lacking in support during her match against Muchova. As she played for the game point, umpire Alison Hughes had to quiet down the crowd continuously. “I knew I had the legs and the lungs to outlast her in the rally; it was whether I had the mentality and patience to do it,” Gauff said.
Gauff has been on fire since her first-round exit at Wimbledon in July and now adds her victory against Muchova to make it 11 games in a row she has won and her 17th in the past 18 matches. Last year, Gauff was a contender for a trophy in the French Open, but she lost the title match. However, Gauff said, “I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it.”
“You know, regardless of what happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks,” Gauff said as she awaits her upcoming match.
Gauff, the No. 6 seed, is set to compete against No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the Gland Slam championship match on Saturday.
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