Coco Gauff looking to complete quest for Grand Slam title with win in U.S. Open final

Coco Gauff watched some of the NFL game between Detroit and Kansas City, she chatted with members of her team, and occasionally checked in with social media to see what exactly was going on in the stands of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The one thing Gauff did not do is get mad at the protestors who caused the nearly 50-minute delay in her 6-4, 7-5 win over Karolina Muchova in her U.S. Open semifinal match Thursday night.

“I believe in climate change,” Gauff said in a post-match news conference that has gone viral. “I think that, you know, the moments like this, yeah, are history-defining moments. I prefer it not to happen in my match but I wasn't [expletive] at the protesters … If that's what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can't really get upset at it.”

This, more than anything, says volumes about the 19-year-old American with hopes to complete the chase for her first Grand Slam title Saturday when she plays Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s final. It’s clear Gauff wants to win, but she also doesn’t want to lose her perspective doing it.

Gauff is the youngest American to reach the U.S. Open Final since Serena Williams did it at 17 in 1999, when Williams won the first Grand Slam of her storied career.

With Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slams, having retired at the end of last year, fans at the U.S. Open are clamoring for Gauff to take the torch as the next female American tennis icon.

Getting past Sabalenka will be no easy task.

The meeting is the second Grand Slam final appearance for both players. Sabalenka won her first one earlier this year, beating Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open. Gauff lost to Iga Swiatek in the 2022 final of the French Open.

Sabalenka, who will become the world No. 1 when the new rankings come out next week, clinched her spot with a come-from-behind 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) over Madison Keys in a match that lasted until nearly 1 a.m.

The two players have met five times previously, with Gauff winning three of those meetings. Sabalenka easily won their most recent match, a 6-4, 6-0 win at Indian Wells in March. But with Gauff on a 17-1 tear since losing in the first round of Wimbledon, Sabalenka says her win earlier this year doesn’t mean much.

“She’s hungry,” Sabalenka said of Gauff after her semifinal win. “It’s kinda like she has nothing to lose. She knows the crowd is going to support her. I think that’s what makes her a really difficult opponent. Also, she’s serving really well.”

Serving well and eager to take the next step. Said Gauff: “I'm trying to enjoy the moment but also knowing I still have more work to do.”