US OPEN: American teenager Coco Gauff defeats Aryna Sabalenka to clinch first grand slam title 

American teenager Coco Gauff stormed back from a set down to defeat new World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka and capture her first major on home soil.

The 19-year-old American teenager who is now on 16-0 in the United States this summer won the US Open with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aryna Sabalenka.

A previous Grand Slam finalist at the 2022 French Open, the No.6 seed Gauff claimed her first major title by prevailing over No.2 seed Sabalenka in just over two hours under a closed roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Gauff now holds a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head series overall (they have split their two meetings this season).

“It means so much to me,” Gauff said during the trophy presentation. “I feel like I’m a little bit in shock in this moment. That French Open loss was a heartbreak for me, but I realized God puts you through tribulations and trials, and that makes this moment even sweeter than I could imagine.

“My dad took me to this tournament, sitting right there, watching Venus and Serena compete, so it’s really incredible to be here on this stage.”

Following her first-round loss to Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin at 2023 Wimbledon, Gauff immediately rebounded with aplomb, hitting multiple milestones during this summer’s hard-court swing. Gauff won her first WTA 500 title in Washington D.C., then followed up by winning her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati.

Gauff is projected to rise to a new career-high ranking of World No.3 in Monday’s updated singles rankings, having previously peaked at World No.4 earlier this season. She and her doubles partner Pegula will also be co-World No.1’s in Monday’s new doubles rankings.