AUSTRALIA, — Four months ago, metro Atlanta native took to the center stage when she snagged the winning title at the U.S. Open. Later, she would find herself reflecting on her Thursday loss in the Australian Open but remaining hopeful and proud of her progress.
“I tend to be hard on myself, so I feel like today was like, 'Dang!'” 19-year-old Tennis superstar Coco Gauff said. “But I think looking back overall at this stage of my life, it was a successful time.”
The 19-year-old lost to Aryna Sabalenka, whom she faced in the U.S. Open. Sabalenka will take a 13-match Australian Open winning streak into Saturday's championship decider against first-time finalist Zheng Qinwen, according to an Associated Press report.
Sabalenka, the defending champion, used her powerful returns to put pressure on Gauff's serve and hit 33 winners Thursday night.
Gauff entered the Australian Open with just six wins away from 50 Grand Slam wins before turning 20. She fell short Thursday night, but coming short of the goal wasn’t a major concern for the teen.
She said she saw statistics that ranked her close to Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati in the teenage seasons.
“I looked at that stat and I’m like, ‘They had great careers. So I’m in the right direction,’” she said. "I just have to remind myself of the journey and not so much of the moment.
With an unbeaten run, Gauff entered in the semifinals after snagging a title in New Zealand this year. She was on a 12-match winning streak in majors and attempting to be the first player since Naomi Osaka in 2020-21 to win the U.S. Open and Australian Open back to back.
She believed she determined how to beat Sabalenka at the U.S. Open, but didn't have the answers against the only player in the final four with semifinal experience in Australia.
The first set contained six service breaks, with both players missing opportunities to serve it out.
Sabalenka led 5-2 and missed a set point as Gauff held firm and went on a four-game roll to take a 6-5 lead. Gauff also couldn’t serve it out, with Sabalenka’s booming returns continuing to cause her trouble.
In the tiebreaker, Sabalenka raced to 5-1. Chants of “Coco, Coco” went up around Rod Laver Arena, but they didn't help Gauff.
Almost a half-hour after her first set point, Sabalenka got five more. She clinched on the second of those with a big serve out wide.
Gauff won points on just three of her 17-second serves in the first set, and that made her push harder and led to six double-faults.
The second set was tight until Sabalenka got a service break in the ninth game.
She missed her first match point when Gauff saved with a forehand winner to end a 12-shot rally.
An ace down the middle earned a second match point and Sabalenka clinched it after 1 hour, 42 minutes. Despite the upsetting loss, she looks back at her growth as a professional tennis player.
“I am really proud of myself. I did want to win a Slam as a teenager, and I did that. I was hoping to get number two, or at least give myself a chance to get number two. I feel it can only go upwards from here."