US Open: Coco Gauff knocks out Karolina Muchovas, reaches final
Sep 08, 2023
New York [US], September 8 : American tennis player Coco Gauff knocked out Czech Republic's Karolina Muchova in straight sets on Friday to storm into the the final of the US Open.
Gauff defeated Muchova 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The sixth-seeded Gauff has won 11 straight matches which is the best streak of her career. She has also won 17 matches out of 18 matches that she featured in inlcuding two title wins in Washington D.C. and Cincinnati.
She will now face No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, who narrowly escaped No.17 Madison Keys in a third-set tiebreak in the second match of the night.
"It was a tough match. I had leads, lost it. It was a lot of emotional, I guess, challenges in the match. But I think I did a good job of staying focused," Gauff said, according to WTA website.
The match was delayed by 49 minutes during the second set when a protest sent the players to the locker room.
Gauff, 19, is the youngest US women's player to reach the US Open final since Serena Williams in 1999.
Gauff is also the youngest woman to compete in multiple Grand Slam finals (counting the 2020 Roland Garros) since Maria Sharapova (2004 Wimbledon and 2006 US Open) and the youngest American woman to do so since Monica Seles from 1990 to 1993.
"I have been focusing more on myself and my expectations of myself," Gauff said. "Not going on social media. ... I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I'm really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks."
