Coco Gauff has clinched the U.S. Open women’s championship, making her the newest Black American female athlete to stamp her legacy on the esteemed U.S. tennis arena.
In a compelling match, Gauff emerged victorious over Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka, taking two sets out of three.
This monumental win at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, NYC, positions Gauff amongst the pantheon of Black American female tennis greats. She now shares the spotlight with legends such as Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and the trailblazing Althea Gibson.
Gibson, a tennis pioneer, bagged the U.S. National Championship women’s singles titles in 1957 and 1958, an antecedent of the U.S. Open. Venus Williams, Serena’s elder sibling, clinched the U.S. Open titles in 2001 and 2002. Serena, on the other hand, has been crowned champion in 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Notably, Serena’s six U.S. Open singles victories are rivaled only by Chris Evert’s impressive six title wins during the tournament’s contemporary phase, spanning 1975-78 and later in 1980 and 1982.
Prior to this victory, 19-year-old Gauff, hailing from Florida, had bagged five singles titles but was yet to achieve a win in any of the world’s four paramount tournaments, including the U.S., French, and Australian Opens, as well as Wimbledon.
She had previously grazed success, being the French Open’s second-best in 2022 and advancing to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows the preceding year.
The match commenced around 4:15 p.m. in Queens with temperatures in the early 80s. The Arthur Ashe Stadium’s roof remained shut to counteract the heat intensity.
Weather conditions during the match were considerably more favorable than the intense highs of the mid- to late-90s that the tournament had previously experienced.
US OPEN TENNIS
CORRECTION (Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023): An earlier edition of this piece incorrectly mentioned the final match score. Coco Gauff triumphed over Aryna Sabalenka by securing two of the three sets, not specifically 6-2.
