DailyExpertNews
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And then there were two.
After two gripping weeks of action, the US Open women’s draw concludes on Saturday with a mouth-watering final between home favorite Coco Gauff and world number 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
Both players have produced some stunning tennis on their way to the final and although Sabalenka will go into the match as favourites, Gauff will be confident she can get over the final hurdle in front of a partisan crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The action for the final Grand Slam title of the season begins at 4:00 PM ET.
Viewers in the US can watch all the action on ESPN, while Sky Sports will broadcast the matches in the UK.
A first grand slam for Gauff?
The last time Gauff and Sabalenka met was in the quarter-finals of Indian Wells in March, where the Belarusian won comfortably 6-4 6-0. However, Saturday’s final should be a very different match, with Gauff improving rapidly in the six months that have passed since that defeat.
The 19-year-old has won three WTA titles this season, including the biggest of her career in Cincinnati just before the US Open, and has won 17 of her last 18 matches. She is the youngest American woman to reach the final of the US Open since 17-year-old Serena Williams did so in 1999.
“Serena is Serena. She is the GOAT. I hope to do half of what she did,” Gauff said, according to the WTA.
This will be the second grand slam final of Gauff’s career after reaching the French Open final in 2022, where she was quickly defeated by Iga Świątek.
But after her 6-4 7-5 victory over Karolína Muchová in the semi-finals, Gauff spoke of the improvement in her mentality, from someone affected by imposter syndrome to believing she can compete with the best players in the world. world to fight.
“I think it is [imposter syndrome] still a part of me,” she said. “It’s something I’m definitely doing better with. Even after [winning Washington] DC, I was still like, ‘Well, I beat some good people, but maybe I caught them on days off.’
“It’s still definitely a part of me, but I do think I give myself more credit and that it’s real to make things happen. “I’ve tried to speak more positively about myself and tell myself I’m a great player.”
The sixth seed told reporters that she was “preparing for next year” after her Wimbledon first round loss, before adding that she was “really proud of myself” for the way she performed at Flushing Meadows .
“I’ve started to focus more on myself and my expectations of myself,” Gauff told Reuters. “I really believe I now have the maturity and ability to do it.”
Until her semifinal against Madison Keys, Sabalenka had been dominant in New York, not dropping a set and never losing more than five games in a match.
However, she was completely pressured by the American on Thursday and had to recover from a brutal 6-0 defeat in the first set, ultimately winning 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (10-5) won. .after two and a half hours of grueling tennis.
Such was the likelihood of a Keys victory late in the second set that Gauff was even asked about the prospect of meeting her compatriot during the post-match press conference.
Sabalenka’s appearance in the US Open final caps a remarkable year in which she won three titles, including her first grand slam at the Australian Open and her sixth Masters 1000 title in Madrid. Whether she wins or loses on Saturday, she will be crowned the new number 1 in the world on Monday.
Despite winning the last time they met, Sabalenka heralded Gauff’s development this season, saying she is now a “much better” player than she was six months ago.
“She has improved a lot,” Sabalenka told reporters after her semi-final. “So it’s a different player. We don’t like to think about that match.
“Going into this final, I think I just have to focus on myself and prepare myself for another fight. No matter what happens, just keep fighting and keep doing my best and doing my best.
“You know, there’s not much you can do, what else can you do? You just have to be there and fight for it.”
Sabalenka will undoubtedly have to play in front of a partisan crowd in Saturday’s final, but having already overcome an intense atmosphere against Keys on Thursday, she said she was confident she could rise to the occasion.
“Of course I would prefer that [to] have someone else or [the] The crowd will be a bit the same for both players, but I think today’s match will help me in the final because I’m okay with this support. I’ll be fine,” she said.
“I still hope that some of them will probably support me – just a little bit. Just every now and then, please. Please,” she laughed.