Coco Gauff couldn’t save the day as US Open women’s final loses its last American
Gauff fought through a dramatic semifinal, but Elena Rybakina ended the American’s run in New York
In the second US Open semifinal of the day, Coco Gauff was the crowd favorite , with personalities such as Michelle Obama in the arena to watch the American take on Kazakh world No. 1 Elena Rybakina.
Gauff absorbed relentless pressure and stayed strong from the back of the court, drawing errors from Rybakina . She broke in the sixth game and took the opening set in front of a roaring crowd. The fans stayed behind her throughout, but Gauff could not finish the job , extending the agony when she had the chance to level the match at 5-5 on her serve.
Gauff’s pressure battle comes back into focus
Pressure has been a silent enemy in Gauff’s career, at times creating what appears to be anxiety on court . But when her focus is fully on hitting winners, using her powerful backhand and coming to the net, she is extremely difficult to stop . That pressure and anxiety may have worked against her in the semifinal, making the loss even more painful after such a strong opening set.
On the other side of the net was a Rybakina who showed almost no emotion, whether things were going well or badly. Her composure stood out, especially in an arena where she was not the favorite. She maintained that same approach throughout the match, even after losing the first set.
Rybakina turns the match around
Eventually, Elena gained control with her power and broke to take a 5-3 lead in the deciding set. Gauff hit back with a break of her own, but her comeback bid faltered when she could not hold serve, allowing Rybakina to break again and close out the victory.
It was heartbreaking to watch Gauff leave the court after an emotional match in which nothing was decided, with the balance able to swing either way. Her expression showed deep sadness, almost reaching tears, especially knowing the opportunity was there but things simply did not go her way on a day when the United States was left without another home player in the US Open women’s final.
