Defense wins championships and offense makes highlight reels.
Coco Gauff used her supreme defensive skills to overcome Aryna Sabalenka from a set down 26 63 62 to become the 2023 US Open champion.
The 19 year old capped off her dream summer with the three biggest titles of her life – Washington, Cincinnati and today the ultimate triumph, her first Grand Slam title.
This was Gauff’s 17th Grand Slam tournament, the first was Wimbledon 2019 as a fifteen year old where she reached the fourth round.
Her closest attempt before this year was the 2022 runner-up at Roland Garros.
With her new coaching team of Brad Gilbert and Pere Riba, Gauff has won eighteen of nineteen matches since her first round Wimbledon loss to Sonia Kenin. The only loss was at Montreal quarterfinals to her doubles partner Jessica Pegula.
The difference in the match was Sabalenka’s numerous errors long and wide, she seemed to proceed with only one strategy of going for her big shots, even when she lost control of the match early in the second set.
Gauff simply ran everything down until Sabalenka’s errors began to outnumber her winners.
Sabalenka will become WTA world no. 1 on Monday, for the first time, despite the loss. Gauff will be ranked no. 3 on Monday and co-no. 1 in doubles with Pegula.
Monica Seles, Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, Spike Lee, Jimmy Butler, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, James Blake were in attendance in Ashe Stadium for Gauff’s historic victory today.
Aryna Sabalenka · Coco Gauff · Head tennis · New Balance · US Open
Sam · September 11, 2023 at 9:16 pm
You wrote in an older article:
Pregnancy looks as fishy and suspect as today’s final.
Didn’t see any of it, but I heard that Sabalenka was absolutely pathetic the last two sets.
So . . . you think the match was fixed?? 🤔
Scoop Malinowski · September 12, 2023 at 8:47 am
Sam, yes I think Sabalenka may have thrown the final after winning the first set. This has to be considered considering the stakes for the US tennis market and the overall tennis establishment which desperately wants and needs the Serena II franchise. So many repeated dumb errors. If not, then the feeling of the whole stadium energy being against her and for Coco provoked her to subconsciously tank it. That’s got to be hard for a girl player – to mentally deal with a giant stadium full house all being against her and for her opponent. The will of the crowd is a very powerful force. The crazy Italian crowds in the late 70s early 80s are a case in point.
Sam · September 14, 2023 at 8:23 am
Scoop, if it was the first scenario, do you think she was given a handsome sum to throw the match? 🍿
Scoop Malinowski · September 14, 2023 at 12:32 pm
For sure. She had a lot of leverage)
Sam · September 18, 2023 at 5:27 am
What’s interesting is that even as far back as 1919, certain players were being bribed to tank in World Series games! 😲
All the more reason to be suspicious of today’s results. 🧐
Scoop Malinowski · September 18, 2023 at 7:55 am
Former IBF Jr Lightweight champion Barry Michael of Australia once said on Facebook the three biggest offers he got in boxing were to throw fights. And the biggest one was a world title fight… Apply this to tennis because surely Barry Michaels experience happens and has happened.
Sam · September 21, 2023 at 4:24 am
Very interesting, Scoop. Yeah, there’s little doubt that this has happened many times in tennis too. 👺
Scoop Malinowski · September 21, 2023 at 9:00 am
Probably far more.
Sam · September 24, 2023 at 5:11 am
I guess there’s no way to ever know the full extent of it. 😑
Scoop Malinowski · September 24, 2023 at 9:08 am
The closest I’ve got to this truth is the former top 40 player who said, “You would cry if you know some of the biggest matches you’ve seen on tv were fixed.”
Sam · September 27, 2023 at 12:20 am
Really? 😮 Wow, that’s really saying something!! 🍿
Just curious—is this player a male or female? My guess is that it’s a male.
Scoop Malinowski · September 27, 2023 at 8:33 am
Never thought of that possibility but can’t rule anything out.
Sam · September 30, 2023 at 5:12 am
Huh? 🤔 I thought were saying that you had some inside information from this former top-40 pro?
Anyway, the quote just sounds more like something a man would say than a woman. And another huge reason to consider any “Slam Count” asterisked. ✳️
Scoop Malinowski · September 30, 2023 at 8:32 am
Yes which was: “You would cry if you knew some of the biggest matches you saw on TV were fixed.”
Sam · October 2, 2023 at 6:01 pm
Right, and I’ll just assume it was someone from the ATP tour who said that.
Anyway, makes tennis sound so much like pro wrestling. 🤼♂️
Scoop Malinowski · October 2, 2023 at 9:07 pm
Yes and Yes Sam, all sports are being accused of being rigged now, for gambling and optimal profit story lines, etc. Hopefully tennis does not fall into this trap.
Sam · October 6, 2023 at 8:04 am
Well, Scoop, based on that quote, sounds like it already has. 😼
Scoop Malinowski · October 6, 2023 at 8:51 am
A reasonable possibility your speculations are correct Sam.
Scoop Malinowski · October 7, 2023 at 8:28 am
Very interesting words from Iga after dominating Coco yesterday: Iga Swiatek after snapping Coco Gauff’s 16 match win streak: “It feels like I can play freely again. It’s been a while since I felt that way. I’ll remember for the rest of my career that even though tougher times may come, in your mind you can always overcome that. With hard work you can achieve it. I’m happy I switched my attitude after US Open. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep it as long as possible.”
“It feels like I can play freely again.” – sounds like she was harnessed by the establishment and not allowed to beat Coco last time?
Hopefully she will be allowed to keep her new “attitude.”
I’m reading a lot of cryptic messaging from Iga, how about you?