Deny today Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka the final of the US Open 2023 (live from 10 p.m. CEST on sportdeutschland.tv). If it goes head-to-head, then an open match can be expected.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: September 9, 2023, 1:27 a.m
© Getty Images
Pictures from another time: Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in Indian Wells in spring 2023
In the spring of 2023, Coco Gauff was a seeker. After their game, after their success. And so perhaps Aryna Sabalenka’s 6-4, 6-0 win over the American in the Indian Wells quarterfinals shouldn’t be given too much importance. Since that game, Gauff has found both: form and success. The latter with the tournament victories in Washington and most recently in Cincinnati. And the final in Flushing Meadows.
Is that enough for the still only 19-year-old? Probably not. Especially when you look at who has entered the list of winners at Grand Slam tournaments in the recent past: Sofia Kenin comes to mind first and foremost (to whom Gauff lost in round one at Wimbledon this season).
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It’s probably not going too far for Madison Keys to say that Coco Gauff would have preferred to play against her rather than against Aryna Sabalenka. Keys has a tendency to shoot himself out of a match at times. Sabalenka almost succeeded in doing that on Thursday in the second semifinal of the US Open 2023. But the Belarusian caught herself in time, reduced her error rate and pulled her head out of the noose. Sabalenka not only played against Keys, but also against the audience.
Gauff with the fans behind him
This is exactly what will be multiplied again in the final this Saturday. Because Gauff has been able to turn things around since the first round, where she managed to turn things around against Laura Siegemund with the help of the fans. The support of the fans is always more motivation than pressure, explained Siegemund a few days ago.
Gauff leads head-to-head with Sabalenka with 3-2 wins. In addition to the smooth affair in Indian Wells, there were also three games that were on a knife’s edge until the end: 2020 in Lexington (immediately after the Corona break) and in 2022 in Toronto Gauff narrowly prevailed, in 2020 in Ostrava Sabalenka. She probably also plays the role of favorite. After all, she is going into her first US Open final as the next number one.
Here is the single tableau in Flushing Meadows
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Sabalenka Aryna Cori Gauff
2023-09-09 06:26:00
#Open #Gauff #Sabalenka
