Photograph: Kind Courtesy Coco Gauff/X (formerly Twitter)
Teenager Coco Gauff mounted a fierce comeback to beat Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the US Open women’s final on Saturday, claiming her first Grand Slam title and cementing her place in American tennis royalty.
With the win, sixth seed Gauff became the first American to win a US Open singles title since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
Factbox on Coco Gauff
IMAGE: Coco Gauff with dad Corey Gauff and mom Candi. Photograph: Coco Gauff/X (formerly Twitter)
Age: 19
Nation: United States
WTA ranking: 6 (Highest ranking: 4)
Seeding: 6
Grand Slam titles: 1 (U.S. Open 2023)
ROAD TO FINAL
IMAGE: Coco Gauff with coach Brad Gilbert and Andy Roddick. Photograph: Coco Gauff/X (formerly Twitter)
First round: Laura Siegemund (Germany) 3-6 6-2 6-4
Second round: Mirra Andreeva (Russia) 6-3 6-2
Third round: 32-Elise Mertens (Belgium) 3-6 6-3 6-0
Fourth round: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) 6-3 3-6 6-1
Quarter-finals: 20-Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) 6-0 6-2
Semi-finals: 10-Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) 6-4 7-5
EARLY LIFE
* Started playing tennis aged six. Growing up, her tennis idols were Serena and Venus Williams.
CAREER TO DATE
* A former world number one junior, Gauff started her professional career on the ITF circuit in 2018.
* Won her maiden WTA singles title in 2019 at Linz and came to prominence when she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon as a qualifier, where she was beaten by eventual champion Simona Halep. Also won two doubles titles with Caty McNally.
* Reached the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2020 and cracked the top 50 in the world for the first time.
* Won her second WTA singles title at Parma in 2021 and reached the quarter-finals of the French Open, where she lost to eventual winner Barbora Krejcikova. Gauff also reached the U.S. Open women’s doubles final with McNally.
* Lost to Iga Swiatek in the French Open final in 2022. Finished runners-up in the women’s doubles final at the same tournament alongside Jessica Pegula.
* Gauff claimed the biggest title to date of her career at the Cincinnati Open in 2023. Also won in Washington D.C. in the build-up to the U.S. Open.
* Beat Sabalenka to become the first American woman to win the U.S. Open since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
