Coco Gauff
defeated
Karolina Muchova 6-4, 6-3 in a match interrupted by protesters at the
US Open.
The American tennis sensation has had her best two weeks at Flushing
Meadows, securing six victories that have propelled her to the final of the US
Open.
As the
World No. 6, Gauff has been one of the local favorites in the tournament and
has unquestionably demonstrated her outstanding form over the past month on the
hardcourt. Gauff won the Washington Open and the Cincinnati Open, entering the
US Open with a remarkable 16-1 record in North American tournaments since
Wimbledon.
Her
confidence was further boosted by a dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory over Jelena
Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, setting her up for a confident run to the
semifinals. Waiting for her there was the World No. 10, Karolina Muchova, who
had been her rival just two weeks earlier in the final of the WTA 1000
Cincinnati, a match Gauff won.
Muchova
quietly progressed through the tournament, capitalizing on the early exits of
other favorites in her half of the draw, including World No. 3 Elena Rybakina,
Maria Sakkari (8th seed), and Belinda Bencic (15th seed). In the quarterfinals,
she defeated the 30th seed, Sorana Cirstea, 6-0, 6-3.
The first
set began with Muchova displaying inconsistency and committing unforced errors,
allowing Coco Gauff to take a quick lead. Gauff had a 5-1 advantage with two
breaks in her favor. Although Muchova staged a comeback by recovering the
breaks, Gauff managed to secure the set 6-4, despite the Czech's spirited
fight.
At the
start of the second set, with Gauff leading 1-0, the match was interrupted by
shouts from protesters in the stands. Clearly frustrated by the delay, Muchova
and Gauff left the court and headed to the locker rooms, in a pause that lasted
for 50 minutes.
The
interruption seemed to benefit Muchova, who quickly showed improvement in her
service and targeted Gauff's backhand to unsettle her and prevent her from
comfortably using her two-handed backhand.
Muchova's best moments came after the timeout, but Gauff kept her composure and secured a break in the eighth game, earning the right to serve for the match. Muchova broke when she needed it most, leveling the score to 5-5 with her service.
After holding her service, the North American found another break under Muchova's pressure and clinched the match 6-4, 7-5.
Thanks to
Gauff's victory, the United States will have a female representative in the US
Open final after four years, when Serena Williams fell to Bianca Andreescu in
2019. The last American woman to win the championship was Sloane Stephens in
2017.
In the
final, Gauff awaits the winner of the match between the new World No. 1, Aryna
Sabalenka, and another American, Madison Keys.
