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Coco Gauff is officially a US Grand Slam champion – and we couldn’t be prouder!
On Saturday, Sept. 9, the 19-year-old tennis star officially secured her first major women’s singles title at the 2023 US Open. In securing the title, the teen defeated Belarus’ Aryna Sablenka in a three-set match. Today’s win makes Gauff the third American teenager to win and the youngest American to win since Serena Williams in 1999 – talk about Black girl magic!
Although the new champion’s win seemed unlikely after the first set, Gauff’s confidence never wavered and was evident throughout the match as she eventually overtook her opponent. The support from the New York City-based crowd also seemed to boost the teen’s confidence as they echoed chants of “Let’s go, Coco,” throughout the intense battle.
Gauff eventually won the match 6-3 and immediately burst into tears of joy while an explosion of applause from onlookers, which included her proud parents and family, echoed in the background.
According to People, the tennis champion told the crowd that she “felt a little bit in shock at this moment,” after her win, citing that she experienced “heartbreak” after the French Open loss” which made this win “even sweeter than I could imagine.”
During the post-match interview, she also went on to thank her parents and share a sweet moment about her dad, telling the crowd that this moment was the first time “I’ve ever seen my dad cry,” although she joked that he probably didn’t want her to reveal that.
Lastly, the tennis champ went on to thank those who doubted her, giving a special shout-out to “the people who didn’t believe in me,” boastfully telling the crowd, that if they thought they were “putting water on her fire,” they were “really adding gas to it.”
To conclude the special day, Gauff was presented a check for $3 million from Billie Jean King, which just happens to be on the 50th anniversary of King’s successful fight for equal pay at the US Open for women. Gauff was sure to thank Billie for the honor and was more than appreciative of her for “fighting for this.”
Congratulations to our new tennis champ, Coco Gauff!
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