By: Tabitha Swiatek
On Saturday, September 9th, 2023, history was made as 19 year old female tennis player Coco Gauff won her first Grand Slam title: the US Open. Coco Gauff was able to win her first Grand Slam on home soil with the New York crowd cheering her on all of the way.
Gauff’s very first Grand Slam Win was in the very heart of New York. Her first noticeable appearance was her 2019 US Open run, in which she lost to 4-time Grand Slam Champion Naomi Osaka in the 3rd Round draw. Coco Gauff was only 15 when that impressive US Open run occurred. Since then, Coco Guaff, like other professional tennis players, has been training everyday and striving for winning many Grand Slams and titles. Recently, Gauff put on a vigorous fight in the 2022 French Open, losing to 4-time Grand Slam Champion Iga Swiatek in the finals. Needless to say, the US Open Grand Slam win, and her ranking of 3rd in the world, proves her dominance and redemption after that French Open loss.
Coco Gauff had to get through some extremely tough competition to achieve her US Open title. Gauff, after winning her first and second round match, had to go up against 1-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, winning in a thrilling 3-set match. Gauff then went on to defeat Latvian Jelena Ostapenko in the Quarterfinals 6-0, 6-2. She then had to face the 20th seeded player, Karolina Muchova, in the semi finals, and Gauff sealed the match by winning 6-4, 7-5. After that, Gauff officially reached her second Grand Slam final. This time, she left with a different result from her 2022 French Open Final. Coco Gauff, in her first ever US Open singles final, had to go up against World Number 1, and Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka. 3.4 million people watched the match go down on ESPN. After losing the first set to Sabalenka 2-6, Gauff made a comeback — significantly winning the next to sets 6-3 and 6-2 — and winning the 2024 Women’s Singles US Open title. This win brought Gauff the one of a kind US Open trophy, her name engraved in the winners section, and a $3,000,000 check.
What will next year’s US Open Bring for Coco Gauff? It’s hard to say what the results will be, as they can never be predicted exactly. However, here is what can be predicted: Coco Gauff’s hard work, dedication, and desire for perfection, will lead her to many victories, both inside, and outside the world of tennis.
