Coco Koff defeats Arya Sabalenka in the US Open women’s final

Queens, New York
CNN
—

Women’s singles World No. 10 Coco Goff made a comeback in the US Open women’s final with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka.

A star-studded crowd erupted in applause after Goff’s home win at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens. The win made the 19-year-old Goff’s first career Grand Slam and the first American teenager to win the US Open. 23-time major champion Serena Williams Degree in 1999.

“I feel like I’m in shock at the moment,” an emotional Goff said after his win. “God sends you through trials and tribulations, and that makes this moment sweeter than I thought it would be.”

He thanked his family, his team and “the people who didn’t believe in me”.

In a bid for her second major title of the year, soon-to-be women’s world no. 1 seed Sabalenka was quick in the first set, breaking Goff’s serve three times to dominate 6-2.

However, with the packed crowd chanting “Let’s Go Coco”, Goff raised his level in the second set, eventually taking it 6-3 to force a deciding third set.

The locked-in Goff took control in the third set, closing in on his first Grand Slam title at double break. Although Sabalenka took the next two games, Goff closed out the match and became the 12th teenager in US Open history to win the title.

“I didn’t know, I knew if I didn’t give it my all, I wouldn’t win,” Goff said of how he found the strength to rally after dropping the first set.

In her run to the final, the athlete lost the first set of a match twice, in the first round against Laura Siegemond and again in the third round against Elise Mertens.

With this win, she became the third American teenager to win the US Open title, joining Williams and Tracy Austin. She is set to move up to No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings, and co-No. 1 in doubles with compatriot Jessica Pegula.

After taking the hit, Goff fell to the ground before hugging Sabalenka. Afterward, Goff got down on his knees in emotion.

Goff mocked his father after the match while thanking his family. “Thanks to my parents first,” he said. “I saw my father cry for the first time today. He doesn’t want me to say all that, but he’s stuck with 4K!

Meanwhile, despite the loss, the Belarusian star will move to No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings on Monday, ending Iga Svitek’s 75-week reign.

Sabenga congratulated his rival, saying “I hope we play many more finals” and calling Goff “fantastic”.

The American congratulated Sabenga on her rise to the No. 1 spot. “Arina is an incredible player,” he said. “Congratulations on the No. 1 ranking, it’s well deserved.

In the post-match press conference, Sabalenka said the loss was a “lesson” for him and that he started “thinking more” during the second set.

“It’s against me,” she said. Goff “really moved and defended better than anyone else.”

“I played against the crowd,” he added.

A first Grand Slam for Goff

The last time Goff and Sabalenka met was in the Indian Wells quarter-finals in March, with the Belarusian winning easily 6-4 6-0. Saturday’s final was a completely different match, however, and Goff has made rapid progress in the six months since that defeat.

The 19-year-old has won three WTA titles this season The biggest of his career in Cincinnati Just before the US Open, he had won 17 of his last 18 matches. She is the youngest American woman to reach the US Open final since 17-year-old Serena Williams reached the US Open final in 1999.

“Serena is Serena. She is a goat. I hope I do half of what she did,” Gough said, according to the WTA.

The match was Goff’s second career Grand Slam final, after reaching the French Open final in 2022, where he was quickly defeated by Ika Svidek.

But following her 6-4 7-5 semi-final win over Karolina Muchova, Goff spoke of an improvement in her mindset, from someone suffering from impostor syndrome to now believing she is capable of competing with the world’s best.

“I think [imposter syndrome] Still a part of me,” she said. “It’s definitely something I’ve been doing better. Even after that [winning Washington] DC, I was still like: ‘Well, I hit some good guys, but maybe I caught them on holiday.’

“It’s still definitely a part of me, but I think I give myself more credit and talk about things more authentically. I try to talk more positively about myself and tell myself that I’m actually a better player.

The sixth seed told reporters after her first-round Wimbledon loss that she was “very proud of myself” for her performance at Flushing Meadows, before saying she was “getting ready for next year”.

“I’m more focused on myself and my expectations of myself,” Goff said, via Reuters. “I believe I have the maturity and ability to do that now.”

Up to her Semifinal against Madison KeysSabalenka dominated New York – never dropping a set and never losing more than five games in a match.

However, he was pushed all the way by the American on Thursday and had to recover from a brutal 6-0 first-set deficit to eventually win 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (10-5). .after two and a half hours of intense tennis.

With Keys looking likely to win late in the second set, Goff was asked about the prospect of facing a fellow American in the post-match press conference.

Sabalenka won three titles, including her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and her sixth Masters 1000 title in Madrid.

Despite winning the last time they met, Sabalenka has heralded Goff’s growth this season and says she is a “much better” player now than she was six months ago.

“He’s improved a lot,” Sabalenka told reporters after his semi-final. “So it’s a different player – we don’t really want to think about that match.

“Going into this final, I think I have to focus on myself and prepare myself for another fight. No matter what, keep fighting and play the best I can.

“You know, you can’t do anything, what else can you do? You have to be there and you have to fight for it.

Sabalenka will no doubt have to play in front of a partisan crowd in Saturday’s final, but he said he is confident of handling the occasion, having already dealt with an intense situation against Keys on Thursday.

“Sure, I’d love to [to] There must be someone else or [the] The crowd will be a bit similar for both players, but I think today’s match will help me in the final as I will be fine with this support. I will be fine,” she said.

I still hope that some of them will support me – a little. Sometimes, please. Please” she smiled.