Tennis, US Open: Gauff wins in the final against Sabalenka

Coco Gauff drives Arthur Ashe and all of America crazy and wins, at the age of 19, her first grand slam tournament, and she does it right at home, at the US Open. Not since 2017, since Sloane Stephens, another who was supposed to be Serena Williams and then didn’t become one, has an American won in New York. Gauff took home a match (2-6 6-3 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes), which after the first set seemed lost, with Aryna Sabalenka, who in any case from Monday will be the new no.1 of the world, as dominant as it had been throughout the tournament. The Belarusian looked like a machine, with her younger rival unable to mount any reaction or defense, but like any machine there was the possibility that it would jam, and she jammed. Inexorably. Sabalenka started to do everything wrong, a mountain of unforced errors (in the end there will be 42, an enormity), with a forehand that suddenly didn’t want to go in anymore and with a shaky serve and to say the least. Also thanks to Gauff, who once the tension was taken away began to do what she does best, defend great, raising the trajectory of the shots and making the opponent wrap up. All the work of her super coach, Brad Gilbert, who in five weeks transformed a raw gem into a slam winner with the added victory in Cincinnati. And all “winning ugly”, winning by playing dirty, but not only that, because the Gauff is a one-off, and not from now.

SUPER COCO

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A miracle to say the least. Coco thoroughly deserved this success, but it is impossible not to underline the demerits, this evening, of a Sabalenka who appeared as the favorite but who demonstrated, once again, how she knows how to play in only one way, of breaking through, incapable of putting together the moments of difficulty a plan B, with a game from midfield forward that was very lacking, especially at the net, with an uncertain smash that missed countless times. Sabalenka certainly deserves to be number 1 in the world and no one doubts it, but now, behind her, there is a new, very dangerous rival: Gauff becomes number 3 in the world and is also a candidate for the world throne. For Coco it is the end of a nightmare, that of expectations, with her, a very young champion, who for years had carried the weight of having to win by force. A few years ago, Roger Federer had predicted great things for this girl from Delray Beach, Florida, taking the long view. Before this incredible summer, Gauff was just a promise, then she met Brad Gilbert and everything changed. The victory in Washington, then Cincinnati and now the US Open, with twelve successes in a row, an incredible streak. A sporting miracle, which Gauff deserves greatly, especially for having had the humility and intelligence to change when her game seemed stagnant. A message to those who are afraid of change, which doesn’t always have to be scary. Far from it.