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Coco Gauff has opened up about her shock of winning the US Open title, stating she \u201ccouldn\u2019t breathe\u201d after the match ended.\u00a0 Gauff defeated the current world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday, to become the highest-ranked American woman in tennis at No 3.<\/p>\n
Her victory marked the first Grand Slam title of the 19-year-old’s young career to date.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s still crazy. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s digested. Like even last night, I was telling myself, you\u2019re a Grand Slam champion, and I\u2019m like, it doesn\u2019t feel real at all,” Gauff said during an appearance on the Today show. “It felt like it hit all at once because I didn’t want to tell myself it was match points on the match points. I didn’t want to start shaking. So when it happened and it like finally, then it was over. So I was a little bit shocked and I couldn’t breathe either.”<\/p>\n
Gauff\u2019s victory was also a significant moment for US tennis, as she became the first American teenager to win the US Open since 17-year-old Serena Williams in 1999. Gauff is also the first American woman to win since Sloane Stephens in 2017.<\/p>\n
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Gauff has been a record-breaking player since she was just ten years old, when she won the USTA Clay Court National 12-under title, becoming the youngest champion in history. At 15 years old, she reached the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019 as the youngest-ever qualifier, and played her first Grand Slam final at the French Open last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gauff\u2019s early professional start means she has adjusted to her fame over the years, and has become accustomed to the public eye.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI feel like this is a big achievement, but honestly, I feel like I’ve been so used to this since I was basically 15 years old in high school, doing online school, just used to it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I’m sure it might be a much bigger scale now because of this achievement, but I’m ready. I mean, I embrace it. I know how to keep my peace but also embrace all of this around me.”<\/p>\n