Coco Gauff has secured the first grand slam title of her fledgling career after winning the US Open.
The American starlet defeat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in front of a jubilant home crowd at Flushing Meadows.
It was the 19-year-old’s second grand slam final after reaching the showpiece event of the French Open in 2022, losing to Iga Swiatek.
Gauff showed great character to see off the threat of the soon-to-be world number one Sabalenka as she put on a heck of a show in front of celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Spike Lee and Maria Sharapova.
It also brought a rather poignant moment after a clip emerged on social media of Gauff attending the tournament as a child.
In the clip, an eight-year-old Gauff was dancing in the stands at Flushing Meadow during the 2012 US Open, 11 years before going on to win the tournament herself.
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The 19-year-old also became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.
Williams' final farewell to tennis at the same championships last year left a colossal void in tennis in the US.
So it felt only natural that Gauff, the heir apparent to the 23-time grand slam winner, stepped into her shoes 12 months later.
Given her tender years, it seems that the sport has a brand new star with Gauff a serious contender to dominate women’s tennis for many years to come.
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This is Coco Gauff in 2012 dancing at the US Open when she was 8 years old.
But today, she looks to win her first Grand Slam as the youngest American US Open finalist since Serena Williams in 1999.
Life is crazy.pic.twitter.com/QAtd1hWkZC
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