The Coco Era is Now

09/11/2023

By: Matthew Cahill

#6 Coco Gauff (1st Major) & #2 Novak Djokovic (24th Major) Win 2023 U.S. Open Titles

Welcome to the Coco Gauff era! If you didn’t know by now, the 19-year-old tennis phenom overcame another first-set loss to topple #2 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday morning for her first U.S. Open crown. It was also Gauff’s first career major, marking the official start of the Gauff era in women’s tennis. On Sunday, Novak Djokovic downed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to continue his dominating presence without much push-back. It was Djokovic’s third slam of the year (out of 4) and 24th in his illustrious career. See how the champs secured the wins this weekend:

Coco Gauff Wins 1st U.S. Open (1st Slam)

#6 C. Gauff def. #2 A. Sabalenka (2-6, 6-3, 6-2)

It was one year ago when Serena Williams hung it up and left a gigantic hole in women’s tennis. Enter Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old American superstar who’s been knocking on the door of her first slam for awhile now. Gauff needed mutliple comeback wins to reach the U.S. Open final on Saturday, and she needed one more. Aryna Sabalenka came out firing with a quick first-set victory (6-2), but Gauff stiffened up, taking 12 of the next 17 games en route to a dramatic finish. Upon match-point, a tear-filled Gauff collapsed on the court in joy. She’s just the tenth teenager to win a singles title at the U.S. Open (men or women), and it’s the first of many in a long career ahead.

Novak Djokovic Wins 4th U.S. Open (24th Slam)

#2 N. Djokovic def. #3 D. Medvedev (6-3, 7-6, 6-3)

The men’s singles finale on Sunday wasn’t another Djokovic-Alcaraz clash as many predicted, but instead featured Daniil Medvedev after the Russian star took down Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals. Djokovic, though, was untouchable. Medvedev gave the Djoker a run in the second set, but this was a straight-set rumble to victory for Djokovic’s record 24th grand slam.

That’s a wrap on our U.S. Open coverage! The next grand slam isn’t until January 2024 (Australian Open), so Gauff can hold the title of “women’s best player” for quite awhile. Congrats to both champs!

ABC News: ‘Brought to Tears’: Coco Gauff Describes Moments After Her US Open Win

Yahoo! Sports: Coco Gauff Wins 1st Grand Slam Title With Wild Comeback in U.S. Open

ESPN: Novak Djokovic Tops Daniil Medvedev to Win US Open, 24th Major, 3rd of the Year

Photo: Frey / TPN / Getty Images