Coco Gauff was unwavering Thursday night. Not when match point after match point was thrown away. Not during a 40-shot exchange that helped determine the result. Most distractingly, her US Open semifinal versus Karolina Muchova was delayed for 50 minutes due to environmental protestors, one of whom taped his bare feet to the concrete floor in the bleachers.
For quite some time, it has been clear that Gauff is not your typical adolescent. She is now one victory away from becoming a Grand Slam winner.
Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, reached her maiden Flushing Meadows final after overcoming Muchova 6-4, 7-5 on an extraordinary evening.
“I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it,” said Gauff, who came within a whisker of a major victory at last year’s French Open but lost in the final. “You know, whatever happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I’ve handled the last few weeks.”
Gauff, the sixth seed, will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus for the title on Saturday. Sabalenka upset 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) in a tense second semifinal that lasted almost an hour.
Sabalenka won the Australian Open in January, is 23-2 in Grand Slam matches this season, and will be ranked No. 1 for the first time next week. She was on the danger of losing to Keys, who won the first set in 30 minutes and led 5-3 in the second set, but she used a 12-point run to rally.
Tiebreakers at 6-all in third sets of women’s Grand Slam matches are now first-to-10, as opposed to the traditional first-to-seven format, although Sabalenka apparently forgot. She lowered her racket and placed her palms to her face, concealing a wide grin, as she surged up 7-3. Sabalenka swiftly saw there was more work to be done and completed it on her third match point.
“I’m not sure how I turned this match around,” Sabalenka said.
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Sabalenka is the only woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to reach the Australian Open and US Open finals in the same year.
Keys was attempting to make a second trip to the US Open final, where she was defeated by Sloane Stephens in 2017.
The most difficult element of Gauff’s triumph against Muchova may have been closing off the match: she required six match points to accomplish so, raucously backed by a noisy, vociferous audience that chair umpire Alison Hughes twice asked to calm down.
Gauff got the last opportunity she needed when she slammed a forehand winner to complete the 40-swing point that was the longest of the match after failing to convert one match point when serving for the victory at 5-3, then another four in what turned out to be the final game.
“I knew I had the legs and lungs to outlast her in the rally; the question was whether I had the mentality and patience to do it,” Gauff said. “I was like, ‘Well, this is going to change the match after 10 or 15 shots in.’”
Yes, it did.
Muchova missed a backhand on the following point, and the match was over. Gauff pumped her hands, waved to the crowd, and placed her finger to her ear, as if she wanted to hear even more encouragement.
She is the first American kid to compete for the championship in New York since Serena Williams, one of her inspirations, who then cited another, late NBA great Kobe Bryant, reminding fans, “Job’s not done.”
Gauff was up a set and 1-0 in the second when four climate protestors from an upper level of the stadium interrupted play. All four were detained; three were hauled away swiftly, but the individual plastered to the ground took longer to dislodge.
“If that’s what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard,” Gauff said, “I can’t really get upset about it.”
During the wait, both ladies took time in the locker room. When play restarted, it was very equal for many games before Gauff went ahead and earned her first match point. Muchova then broke back with a volley winner.
They’d go on for about a half-hour.
With Gauff led 6-5 and Muchova serving, the one-point deficit continued to grow. Muchova fought back. Gauff was unable to persevere.
Once. Twice. At least three times. Four. The applause from the audience didn’t stop. Finally, Gauff won her 11th match in a row and 17th in her last 18 matches, a streak that started with a first-round elimination at Wimbledon in July. Gauff’s run includes the two most significant wins of her career, and she now needs one more victory to secure an even more crucial crown.
“I wasn’t expecting to do well, honestly, in this hard-court season after Wimbledon,” Gauff said, “so I’m really proud of how I’ve been able to turn this season around for me.”
At 7:15 p.m., it was gloomy and much colder than it had been all week at Flushing Meadows, falling from about 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) on Wednesday to the low 80s F (high 20s C).
Gauff was outstanding early on, gaining up 3-0 and 5-1 leads before No. 10 seed Muchova, a 27-year-old Czech Republic native, eventually got going. Muchova, on the other hand, had won the point on just 10 of her 24 visits to the net, and she had 36 unforced mistakes, 11 more than Gauff.
“I’m just kind of sad about my performance,” said Muchova, who reached the Roland Garros final in June.
throughout the protest’s lengthy break, she was examined by a physiotherapist, who stated her right arm, which was covered by a black sleeve, troubled her throughout the event.
What player is at 100% at this stage in the season if she isn’t? — Gauff earned credit for knowing when to let Muchova miss rather than attempting to be overly aggressive.
“You have to be focused and have finish points,” Muchova said of facing Gauff. “You have to be on the court to see where she is running.” You must consider where to place the ball in order to complete it at the net or to attempt to play it sooner.”
Gauff also shown that she was prepared for the occasion, the kind of achievement that had been prophesied of her since, at the age of 15, she became the youngest qualifier in Wimbledon history and advanced to the fourth round.
“I’m having way more fun now,” Gauff said on Thursday.
More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/