By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 7, 2023
Nineteen-year-old Coco Gauff topped Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5 to become the first U.S. teenager since Serena Williams in 2001 to reach the US Open final.
Photo credit: Darren Carroll/USTA/US Open
NEW YORK—A collective crowd cheer erupted as Coco Gauff stepped to the line to start tonight’s US Open semifinal.
Riding a wave of energy, the 19-year-old Gauff spent the night restoring the roar to American tennis.
More: Protestors Disrupt US Open Semifinals
In a rematch of last month’s Cincinnati final, Gauff withstood a 49-minute mid-match delay due to protesters then quieted Karolina Muchova's uprising 6-4, 7-5 to charge into her maiden US Open final.
"It was a tough match," Gauff said. "You know, I had leads, lost it, and, you know, serving for it. It was a lot of emotional, I guess, challenges in the match. But I think I did a good job of staying focused. I'm just really proud of myself today."
Credit a feisty Muchova for fighting off five match points with some of her most assertive tennis of the night as Gauff tightened up a bit and failed to serve it out at 5-3.
Undaunted, Gauff played heavy high forehands, moon balls, chips and just about everything else in her arsenal prevailing in a riveting and dizzying 40-shot rally that spanned all corners of the court to earn a sixth match point.
A committed Gauff converted her sixth match point to close in two hours, three minutes. It wasn't a masterpiece match, but Gauff played with poise and purpose on a wild night where mental strength and patience were essential.
When Muchova's final drive missed the mark, Gauff pumped her fists in joy, unleashing a crescendo of cheers from the 23,000-plus fans packed in Ashe Stadium.
“Some of those points it was so loud I don’t know if my ears are gonna be okay thank you guys so much this is crazy,” Gauff told the fans. “I grew up watching this tournament so much so it means a lot to be in the final. But the job is not done, so hopefully you guys can back me on Saturday.”
Gauff is the first American teenager to reach the US Open final since a 19-year-old Serena Williams did it back in 2001. She's the youngest American woman to advance to the US Open final since a 17-year-old Serena defeated world No. 1 Martina Hingis in the 1999 final.
Chomping on fruit salad during changeovers and feasting on Muchova errors during rallies, Gauff played calmer tennis and did not lose focus even after that lengthy delay at the start of the second set.
It is Gauff’s 11th consecutive victory—the longest winning streak of her career—and her 17th victory in her last 18 matches.
Since her opening-round Wimbledon exit, Gauff has captured hard-court titles in Washington, DC and Cincinnati and lost just once.
The summer of Coco can crescendo in Saturday’s 4 p.m. final.
Gauff will face either new world No. 1 and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka for the title and a champion's check of $3 Million.
The second-seeded Sabalenka rallied past 2017 US Open finalist and compatriot Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(5) in two hours, 32 minutes in tonight's second semifinal.
It’s the second major final of Gauff’s young career following her run to the 2022 Roland Garros final where she suffered a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing to world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
These days, Gauff is a more complete and confident player, who has enjoyed massive crowd support throughout her US Open career.
Roland Garros finalist Muchova was tighter at the outset and couldn’t consistently create enough net clearance as Gauff rolled out to a 5-1 lead before the Czech made a three-game run.
For all the criticism of Gauff's western grip forehand after her Wimbledon ouster, tonight Gauff's forehand wing held up better than Muchova, who committed 35 unforced errors compared to 25 for the teenager.
"She’s the type of player I feel it’s so hard to get a rhythm or hit through," Gauff told ESPN's Chrissie Evert afterward. "I feel like in the first set I felt like I didn’t need to do much because she was giving me a lot of errors.
"Then obviously in the second set she starts playing more aggressive, coming to the net more. I had chances to serve for it and I think in those moments I can be more aggressive, but I told myself just trust yourself in the moment. You can’t take back any mistakes you made, you just do your best to try to move past that."
Knowing Muchova closes tightly to net, Gauff played over the Czech’s head looping a lilting lob winner in the corner for break point.
Persistently pounding the Muchova backhand, Gauff drew netted reply, breaking for 2-0.
Throughout the tournament, Gauff has beaten all comers in crosscourt backhand exchanges. The Delray Beach-born baseliner imposed that pattern to back up the break at 30 for 3-0.
Wearing a black sleeve that wrapped her right arm from upper shoulder to wrist, Muchova was scuffling to tame her shots in the early stages.
The 10th-seeded Muchova was pulling off her forehand at times. She sailed that shot long as Gauff scored her second straight break bursting out to a 5-1 lead after just 24 minutes.
"I have a little trouble with my arm, so I just tried to do everything I could improve it and to not feel that much pain," Muchova said. "So I tried the sleeve. I had some tapes under it. I thought it will work better with the sleeve than just with -- and that it can help, as well. Yeah. That's why I wear it."
Settling herself, Muchova made more balls and gave Gauff chances to miss. Gauff complied scattering a backhand to hand back a break in the seventh game.
Serving for the set again, Gauff ran down a poor drop shot but played it back crosscourt where Muchova flicked a pass down the line. By then, Muchova was striking more crisply and used her volley to earn a break point.
When Gauff flattened a drive into net, Muchova had her second straight break and was back on serve at 4-5.
Cleaning up her act, Gauff gained triple set point after Muchova nudged a drop volley into net then missed a forehand. Centering a deep return, Gauff provoked a netted backhand, exploiting a four error game to break at love and snatch a one-set lead after 51 minutes.
Despite serving just 46 percent and winning more second-serve points (9) than first-serve points (5), Gauff stabilized at the right time, moving one set from her first US Open final.
A disturbance caused by environmental protesters screaming “End Fossil Fuels!” erupted in the upper deck at about 8:05 p.m. prompting a bizarre 47-minute delay at the start of the second set. Some fans were chanting “Kick them out! Kick them out!” urging security to bounce the boisterous disruptor's.
The NYPD was called in to remove the protesters with one apparently gluing his feet to the cement floor, which required time for authorities to safely remove the man.
While that was going on, Muchova called for the trainer and Gauff went back out on court to take some practice serves.
After about 10 minutes, both women left the court. A full 49 minutes after the disruption began, the semifinalists were back for a three-minute warm up.
An unsettled Muchova mashed a forehand into net to face break point in the fourth game. Muchova locked down and played exclusively to Gauff’s forehand. Using a low chip to lure Gauff in, Muchova beat the leaping sixth seed with a slick lob, holding for 2-2.
Bending her first ace of the night, Gauff held for 4-3 after 86 minutes.
Soaring high, Muchova bungled a routine smash to fall behind 15-30. Though she gained game point, Muchova double-faulted it away. Gauff spun a forehand pass down the line for a break point. Moving smoothly laterally, Gauff repelled everything Muchova hit at her, finally eliciting the error to break for 5-3.
"She's moving well. She really gets that extra point back," Muchova said. "So you have to be focused and finish points. You have to be, yeah, really there on the court and then see where she is running. You have to think where to put the ball to finish it at the net or try to play it earlier."
Serving for the US Open final, Gauff went up 30-love, double faulted then gained match point at 40-30 only to see Muchova save it with a crisp backhand volley winner.
The Czech kept fighting forcing Gauff into an errant forehand to break back for 4-5. Muchova withstood a dizzying duel of lobs that ended with a Gauff forehand pass holding for 5-5.
Stepping into the court, Gauff crunched a crosscourt forehand for 15-30 and when Muchova sailed a forehand, her 34th unforced error, Gauff had a second match point. Muchova smacked a brilliant running forehand to save the second match point and dodged a third when Gauff jerked a nervous forehand wide.
On the 14th shot of the next rally, Muchova pasted a backhand into net as Gauff gained match point number four. A stubborn Muchova worked over the sixth seed's forehand to fight off the fourth match point.
On the fifth match point, a gutsy Muchova branded a serve down the middle and slammed a forehand drive volley winner.
“I knew from Cincinnati she plays really well on the match points. So I was just doing my best to try to stay calm," Gauff said. "Sometimes I feel I didn’t do enough and then sometimes I felt I overplayed.
"Really, most of them I didn’t do enough, but I just tried my best to stay calm. She’s a great player. She comes to the net…so I was just trying to do my best to be ready for every ball.”
A raucous, wild, scrambling all-court point escalated to 40 shots spiking drama and ending with Gauff running down a short ball and slamming an emphatic forehand winner for a sixth match point.
"At that point when you're like 20 shots in in the rally it's tough to go for a winner sometimes because, you know, you're not as fresh on energy and everything as before, and, you know, I knew that I could outlast that rally," Gauff said. "I knew I had the legs and the lungs to outlast her in the rally; it was whether I had the mentality and patience to do it.
"After 10 or 15 shots in, I was, like, Well, this is going to change the match. I knew that if I could win that rally, I felt like that next match point was going to go my way, because I don't think she could have did back-to-back rallies like that. I knew that next match point, if I were to win she was definitely going to go for a winner or miss. That's what happened."
When Muchova's final shot sailed long, Gauff was through to her first US Open final.
Absorbing the moment, Gauff pumped her fists furiously and made a heart shape with her hands as the crowd screamed its support.
A few weeks ago, the pair squared off in the Cincinnati final.
In that Cincinnati clash, dynamic Gauff conquered Muchova 6-3, 6-4 to capture the biggest title of her career in the Western & Southern Open final to make history as the youngest woman to rule Cincinnati.
Now, Gauff stands one win from her maiden major title and becoming the youngest American since a 17-year-old Serena in 1999 to hoist the US Open trophy.
"I'm trying to enjoy the moment but also knowing I still have more work to do," Gauff said. "Yes, the final is an incredible achievement but it's something that I'm not satisfied with yet."