Coco Gauff’s US Open win gets the president’s nod

CNN
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The stadium erupted in an explosion of noise and celebration when Coco Jove Aryna defeated Sabalenka in three sets to win the tournament US Openthe fans jump to their feet in unison Jove He collapsed to the ground.

Celebrations extended across the US, with celebrities, fellow tennis players and several bosses giving the 19-year-old their seal of approval, as she fulfilled the potential she first showed when she defeated 15-year-old Venus Williams at Wimbledon.

After becoming the youngest American woman to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999, Gauff told CNN’s Carolyn Manno that those initial expectations affected her “a lot.”

“I learned how to stay within myself and accept it as well,” she said after her 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. “Before I tried to ignore it, but now I really accept it and I still feel that I have a very long way to grow as a player. Today I was not close to my best, but it was enough because I needed to win at that moment.

Gauff has long been touted as one of tennis’s next superstars, and her maturity on and off the court, intelligence and ability to express herself endear her to American audiences in particular.

“Congratulations to US Open champion Coco Gauff,” President Joe Biden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “You electrified Arthur Ashe Stadium and the entire nation – the first of more to come and proof that anything is possible if you never give up and always believe. You have made America very proud.”

Barack and Michelle Obama had supported Gauff from the stands during her first-round match against Laura Siegmund, and also congratulated her on her X.

“We couldn’t be more proud of you on and off the field — and we know the best is yet to come,” former President Obama wrote, while Michelle Obama praised Gauff’s “hard work and determination” and shared a photo of the two. The meeting after the first round match.

Bill Clinton also congratulated Gauff on her “astonishing win,” saying that “the future of American tennis looks bright.”

Meanwhile, Serena Williams posted, of which Gauff said: “You allowed me to believe in this dream.” Instagram story Marking Gove’s victory with the caption, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

“My dad took me to this tournament, and I sat there and watched Venus and Serena compete, so it’s really cool to be here at this stage,” Gauff said afterward, according to the WTA.

Gauff completed a dramatic comeback to win the title after Sabalenka broke the American three times to secure the first set.

With the packed crowd chanting “Let’s go, Coco”, Gauff raised her level in the second set, taking the lead in the second game before eventually taking a 6-3 lead to force a decisive third set, which she won to seal the victory.

In the stands, stars such as Nicole Kidman, Amanda Seyfried, Cara Delevingne, Ariana DeBose and Diane Keaton were seen, while Gauff’s Instagram post celebrating her win was filled with video. comments Celebrity well-wishers.

“You made me scream so hard today queen!!! Go Coco!!! Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness said, while fellow tennis player Carlos Alcaraz called her win “amazing,” and Hollywood star Zendaya left a series of star emojis.

Closer to home, Gauff told reporters that her brother was very loud when she called him immediately after the match, “and it hurt me so I hung up.” She said her mother jumped up and down with her hands in the air before hugging her daughter in the stands afterward.

“When I hugged my dad, I didn’t see him because he immediately went to hug him,” Gove told reporters. “I heard him cry but I’ve never seen that man cry in my life because of everything that happened.

“Mom, I knew she was going to cry regardless of whether I won or lost. I wasn’t really surprised by it. But, I mean, honestly, the whole time I was like, ‘Oh my God, how can this be real?’