The new star of American tennis, 19-year-old Coco Gauff, won the semi-final of the US Open against the Czech Karolina Muchova (6-4, 7-5). The 2022 Roland-Garros finalist will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, who deprived Madison Keys of playing in an all-American final.
Published on: 09/08/2023 – 05:21 Modified on: 09/08/2023 – 08:03
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She continues to captivate the public, but this time at home. The American nugget Coco Gauff, 6th in the world at 19, qualified, Thursday, September 7, for her first US Open final by beating the Czech Karolina Muchova (10th) 6-4, 7-5, at the end of a match interrupted by environmental activists.
Gauff, who has already played a final at Roland-Garros in 2022, will face, on Saturday, the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated the American Madison Keys (0-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (10 /5) in the other semi-final, and already assured of becoming world No.1 for the first time, Monday with the publication of the new WTA rankings.
Gauff, who had never advanced beyond the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows, is the youngest American to reach the US Open final since Serena Williams. Like Queen Serena, Gauff was able to count on massive public support.
“On certain points, the public made so much noise that I thought I was losing my hearing,” the player joked. “But keep it up, I hope it will help me on Saturday!”
Demonstration of environmentalists
The Floridian reached the final of her national Major for the first time in the wake of a flamboyant month of August with two titles up for grabs just before coming to Flushing Meadows: Washington and the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati where she beat world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semis.
Thursday, she emerged victorious from a generally unexciting match, in particular because studded with 61 unforced errors (25 for Gauff, 36 for Muchova), the most thrilling moment of which may have been her interruption by environmental activists.
As the players were about to begin the second game of the second round, four people, according to the organization, stood up in the upper part of the stands of the immense Arthur-Ashe court and chanted “end fossil fuels”, stop the fossil fuels.
The referee preferred to interrupt the game and while the public repeatedly threw “get them out” against the activists, Gauff and Muchova were authorized to leave the court and return to the locker room while the situation was resolved. .
On the intervention of the police, three of the activists came out calmly, but the fourth stuck his bare feet on the ground. The police and the medical service took several minutes to take him off before taking him out, his hands handcuffed behind his back.
Festival of mistakes
On the court, Gauff looked like she could swallow the first set when she served at 5-1. But Muchova came back at 5-4. The Czech then served to equalize at 5-5, but in a festival of unforced errors (12 for Gauff and 17 for Muchova over the first set), the American took over her opponent’s service for a third time to pocket the first inning.
In the second set, the two players kept their face-off until Gauff managed the break (notably taking advantage of a ball dutifully spiked in the corridor by Muchova) to lead 5-3 and serve for the match. .
With superb cushioning, the American got a first match point, but the Czech saved her with great authority before unbreaking. 5-4 and 15/15, Gauff and Muchova finally played a spectacular point, won by the American, which brought the audience to their feet.
The game then got carried away, especially as Muchova saved four more match points at 6-5. But after an exchange of 40 strikes, Gauff offered herself a sixth match point, which she converted this time.
With AFP
