The 2023 US Open has been full of excitement. Since August 28, some of the world’s best tennis pros have hit the courts of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in New York to compete for the coveted title of champion. While each player is great in their own right, a powerhouse 19-year-old from Atlanta has the world watching. Ladies and gentlemen—meet Coco Gauff.
Gauff is certainly not the new kid on the block, but she’s one of the youngest. Still considered a teen by societal standards, she’s been dominating her rounds, knocking out vets nearly twice her age. After defeating Karolina Muchova on Thursday in her semi-final match, Coco Gauff will now gear up to face Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open Finals—making her the youngest woman to reach this phase of competition since Serena Williams in 1999.
“Thank you guys so much; this is crazy. I grew up watching this tournament, so it means so much,” Gauff said during her post-semi-final match interview. “But, the job is not done. Hopefully you all can back me at the finals on Saturday.”
All eyes were on the ATL native during her match against 35-year-old Kara Siegmund on Monday, when she had to repeatedly ask the umpire to hold Siegmund to the tournament rules. If you didn’t catch it, the German tennis player continued taking “illegal” breaks between Gauff’s serves. Although she let many of them slide, the antics began to hold up play, and the 19-year-old spoke up.
“She’s never ready when I’m serving. She went over the clock, like, four times. You gave her time violation once,” she said to the ref. “How is this fair? No, you’re calling the score, like, six seconds after the point is over.”
Fans and spectators praised Gauff for standing up for herself, as they too witnessed Siegmund’s acts. The ump eventually penalized the 35-year-old, but many pointed out that Coco shouldn’t have had to go to the lengths she did in order for that to happen. We love a young Black Queen who knows her worth.
More drama ensued during her semi-final round as well. A group of protester against climate change delayed the start of the match after one of them glued his bare feet to the ground. The group was finally escorted out of the stadium by police.
Hopefully, the star will have a drama-free final on Saturday, and we certainly can’t wait to cheer her on this weekend as she seeks to lock in her first US Open win.
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