US Open Tennis 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Thursday's Winners and Losers
September 8, 2023US Open Tennis 2023 Results: Instant Reactions to Thursday's Winners and Losers
The final of the 2023 U.S. Open women's singles competition is set.
In cloying New York heat and despite a 50-minute disruption led by climate protestors, 19-year-old American Coco Gauff and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka secured a place in the finals.
The two are now set to face off for the Grand Slam title Saturday. Here's how we got there.
Thursday Results
Women's Semifinals
No. 6 Coco Cauff def. No. 10 Karolina Muchová, 6-4, 7-5
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka def No. 17 Madison Keys, 6-0, 7-6(1), 7-6(5)
Coco Gauff Secures Finals Spot with Win over Karolína Muchová
The last time Coco Gauff and Karolína Muchová faced off was in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Gauff defeated Muchová in the Western & Southern Open women's singles final to become the youngest winner in tournament history.
Gauff made history once again when the two reunited on the court Thursday night.
The 19-year-old American defeated Muchová 6-4, 7-5 to become the first American teenager since Serena Williams in 2001 to reach the U.S. Open finals.
27-year-old Muchová, who appeared shaky as she quickly fell behind 5-1 in the first set, rallied in the second set to make the end of the match a tense 15 minutes for the American crowd as Gauff couldn't convert on four match point opportunities.
Gauff eventually forced a final miss by Muchova to claim her spot in the finals.
Gauff also made it to the finals of the 2022 French Open, where she lost in two sets to Iga Świątek. This year could be different, Gauff told reporters after her quarterfinals win over Jelena Ostapenko, per Andscape's William C. Rhoden.
"Right now, I feel emotionally fresh, which I think was the problem in the past in Grand Slams," Gauff said. "I would emotionally be drained. Obviously, I'm physically fresh and emotionally fresh, and I think that just came from experience. I don't know if it's because I've been tricking myself or maybe when this is over I'm going to hit a wall. But I'm really proud of how I'm able to get through these matches."
Gauff is now on the longest win streak of her career after claiming victory her last 11 matches and does not appear set to hit that wall anytime soon. Her focus Thursday even after Muchová's late rally and the mid-game disruption showed that she will be a formidable opponent against either Keys or Sabalenka.
Aryna Sabalenka Celebrates Stunning Comeback Win Over Madison Keys
Aryna Sabalenka had lost just nine games total in her previous five matches.
Then she ran into Madison Keys.
Keys, a crowd favorite since upsetting No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the fourth round, took the first set 6-0 to take control of the semifinal match early and put the world No. 2 one set away from elimination.
But Sabalenka, who was playing in her fifth consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, wasn't going to back down. She claimed the second and third set in tiebreakers to earn her spot in the finals with a comeback victory, 6-0, 7-6(1), 7-6(5).
After going down 5-3 in the second set, Sabalenka recovered to force the tiebreak, where she claimed victory to even the match.
It all came down to a 10-point third set tiebreak, where Sabalenka once again prevailed to complete her comeback.
After a tough back-and-forth match where both competitors saw ups and downs and play stretched into the early hours of Friday morning, Gauff will be a tough opponent for Sabalenka. She will be looking for her second Grand Slam title, while Gauff will seek her first, in Saturday's final.