On Sept. 10, the U.S. Open tournament came to an end with the men’s final game. The anticipation and fanfare for this season was large, with a 27% increase from last year’s viewership. In the end, the men’s and women’s champions will go down in tennis history.
On Sept. 9, 19-year-old American women’s singles player Coco Gauff outplayed this year’s Australian Open winner, Belarusian Aryana Sabalenka. Gauff stayed persistent during this final match, trying to ward off tiredness and stay sharp — a common theme throughout this tournament for her. Ultimately, Gauff’s defense won her this match, consistently returning balls and tiring out Sabalenka, who began to lose her footing in the third set.
Anticipation built up within the largely American audience in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City over the three sets played. After losing her first set, Gauff made a comeback winning a 2-6, 8-3, 6-2 victory. Her win sent fans cheering and Gauff to the ground in tears.
After this win, Gauff goes down in the books not only as one of the youngest winners of the Women’s U.S. Open, but also the fifth Black woman to win. Her win also marks the 50 anniversary of the fight for equal pay in tennis championship prizes. Upon receiving her $3 million check, Gauff was sure to thank pioneer Billie Jean King for fighting for equality in tennis in her speech.
In Sunday’s men’s finals, Daniil Medvedev, Russian one-time grand slam winner, faced off against veteran Serbian player Novak Djokovic. Djokovic’s rigorous training and condition even as an older tennis player paid off, with him winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3. The suspenseful second set proved to be key in Djokovic’s win, lasting a grueling one hour and 45 minutes and ending in a tiebreak in favor of Djokovic. From there, Djokovic was on course to become the oldest person to take the title at 36-years-old.
Aside from the players who made it to the finals, many others have gained attention from the tennis world in the 2023 U.S. Open.
20-year-old Ben Shelton made a name for himself this season, nearly making it to the finals before being ousted by Djokovic — but not without leaving his mark on U.S Open history by serving at a record-breaking 149 mph.
“Ben Shelton played college tennis and that’s what I want to do… I think he’s making a name for college tennis,” senior and Varsity tennis player Mia Sorrentino said. “I think that having younger players representing our younger generation and how we play is really important, and I think it’s definitely attracting more people to the sport.”
