Sixth seed Gauff reached his second Grand Slam final. Last year, she lost to Polish Iga Swiatek in the final match of Roland Garros.
In her second Grand Slam final, Gauff was overpowered at times in the first set by Sabalenka, who imposed her will on Gauff with powerful jabs. The American was mainly limited to defense and relied on Sabalenka’s mistakes.
Back in the game
In the first game of the second set, Gauff was able to eliminate two break points and was able to power her way into the match. She won the serve match against Sabalenka with a score of 2-1 and this break was enough to win the set.
Gauff took the lead in the third set and quickly reached 4-0, partly due to massive carelessness by her opponent. Sabalenka required further treatment for the injury and had already won two matches in a row, but after another break at 4-2, her resistance was over.
After two hours and six minutes, Gauff finished with a backhand pass, and then lay down on the court at a sold-out Arthur Ashe Stadium. The final was attended by many famous Americans, from sports stars to major actors.
Gauff is the first American to win the US Open since Sloane Stephens in 2017. Serena Williams was a finalist in 2018 and 2019.
Sabalenka’s new No. 1
Sabalenka could have won her second Grand Slam title. At the beginning of this year, she won the Australian Open. Sabalenka will be ranked number one in the world as of Monday. Gauff is ranked third in the new world rankings.
Gauff achieved her feat more than four years ago at Wimbledon. When she was 15 years old she reached the fourth round on the London grass. She has yet to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open.
