- American tennis star Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka
- She won her first Grand Slam at 19 years
- She credits her victory to Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams
American tennis star Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka credits winning her maiden Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York to Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
It was a long-held dream since she hit the tennis headlines as a junior player when she was only 15 years old. She has consistently demonstrated exceptional mental resilience and emotional maturity which have propelled her to the top of the WTA Tour.
Now 19, Gauff played her most significant match to date, facing off against the world’s reigning top player. She mounted a spectacular comeback from a one-set deficit to defeat Sabalenka, the second seed, with a final score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Following her victory, Gauff joins a prestigious club as the third American teenager to claim the US Open women’s title. This is an achievement she dreamt of while idolizing Serena who triumphed for the first time in 1999 as a teenager.
Coco Gauff Aryna Sabalenka to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Photo/ Sportico.com.
She says that she idolized Serena and her elder sister Venus to the point that she believed in their dream of a Black woman making it to the top of the WTA Tour.
[Venus and Serena] are the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream growing up,” she told the press after the match.
Just before the final match on Sunday, Gauff left many people in utter awe after disclosing that she was employing the ‘Mamba Mentality’ preached by the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
She said that while she felt great advancing to the US Open finals, it wasn’t a reason enough to celebrate yet until she won the Grand Slam.
Bryant was synonymous with “the job is not done” statement whenever LA Lakers qualify for a big match.
She told reporters the same thing after the qualifying match against Karolina Muchova. Gauff admittedly said that she admired Bryant’s mentality, particularly during the NBA Finals when his team had a lead.
Coco Gauff. Photo/USOPen.org
Instead of celebrating prematurely, Bryant would acknowledge his success, but then he would quickly shift his focus to the next challenge. He remained determined and committed to continuous improvement, always understanding that there was more work to be done.
Gauff expressed her determination to stay focused on winning her first Grand Slam, much like Bryant did. With just hours to this match, she was not getting complacent or too comfortable with the praise of making it to a Grand Slam final.
She recognized that her journey in tennis was ongoing, and all she wanted was to maintain a winning mentality and commitment to improvement.
Playing on home soil was good news to her as fans her image graced advertisements, flyers, and adorned the sides of buses throughout New York City before the final match started.
Fans and celebrities rallied behind her and the crowd gave her a standing ovation as she walked to the court ready to make history.
With 12 consecutive wins and 18 victories out of her last 19 matches since her Wimbledon setback, Gauff’s remarkable summer performance is poised to catapult her to a career-best ranking of World No. 3 in the WTA standings.
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