Maria Sharapova was delighted to be able to witness the biggest moment of Coco Gauff’s tennis career so far. The 33-year-old was part of an incredible atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as the teenage superstar defeated Aryna Sabalenka to win this year’s US Open title and match her own achievement of winning the tournament aged just 19.
Following her victories in Washington and Cincinnati leading up to the final major of the year, the American arrived in New York under immense pressure to finally deliver at the highest level. She handled the intense scrutiny with such grace and poise and showed just how dominant and resilient she can be on the tennis court, all qualities Sharapova admires in the 19-year-old.
“Yes, yes, I couldn’t miss that, I just felt like it was a match that would… Seeing Coco on that stage and all the expectations from the beginning of the tournament,” the 2006 US Open winner said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. “I didn’t think it was the highest quality of match because there were so much nerves on I think on both sides.
“I was so happy to see Coco win. I have been saying this for years I think she has the ability to transcend the sport into so many… Bridging entertainment and sport and culture and fashion. She has such a great voice and most importantly she is an amazing competitor which is just like the full package and it came together for her in New York City. So I wanted to be there.”
Sharapova knows what it is like to achieve plenty of success early in her tennis career. The Russian was just 17 when she upset Serena Williams to win her lone Wimbledon title in 2004, and, like Gauff was just 19 when she triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2006.
In October 2022, the current World No. 3 qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time. In doing so he became the youngest player to do so since Sharapova 19 years ago. Last weekend, Gauff became the fourth player to qualify for this year’s season-ending event after surpassing the points tally of 5,210.
She will head to Mexico with the trio of new World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, French Open champion Iga Swiatek, and Elena Rybakina who have already qualified for the event. Gauff will be on double duty at the WTA Finals having qualified alongside Jessica Pegula in the doubles event.
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Before Gauff sets off to Cancun to conclude her season, her next assignment is the China Open. The American will begin her debut campaign in Beijing this weekend which marks her first tournament as a Grand Slam champion.
She will take on Ekaterina Alexandrova in her first match. Once the tournament in the Chinese capital has concluded, Gauff will play in the Zhengzhou Open, a WTA 500 tournament that will commence on Oct. 9 after accepting a wildcard to play the event.
“It’s been a huge summer for me and I’m excited to build on my US Open win and put in a really big finish to what’s been an amazing year,” Gauff said. “We always love playing in front of the Chinese fans so I’m really looking forward to that.”
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