Coco Gauff is through to her second Grand Slam final after defeating Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals of the US Open.
19-year-old Gauff overcame a 50-minute delay caused by climate protestors to bag a 6-4, 7-5 win over the world No. 10, making her the youngest American finalist in New York since Serena Williams in 1999.
The American is currently enjoying an 11-match winning streak, the longest of her career, after picking up a title at the Cincinnati Masters last month and she attributed her recent bout of success to her growing ‘maturity’.
‘’It was a tough match," Gauff said afterwards in press.
"I had leads, lost it. It was a lot of emotional, I guess, challenges in the match. But I think I did a good job of staying focused.
‘’I have been focusing more on myself and my expectations of myself.
"Not going on social media. I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it.
''Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I'm really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks.’’
Hitting against the 2023 French Open finalist, Gauff revealed she often struggled against Muchova’s aggressive gameplay.
‘’She’s the type of player it’s so hard to get a rhythm,” Gauff later told ESPN.
“In the second set she started to play more aggressive. I told myself, 'Just trust yourself in the moment. You’ve got to trust yourself.’’
The person standing in Gauff’s way of a maiden Grand Slam title is soon-to-be world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is contesting for her second major, and they will face off for the sixth time in Saturday’s final, with the American currently leading the Head2Head series 3-2.
More must-reads: