American tennis sensation Coco Gauff secured her spot in her first U.S. Open final, defeating Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5 in a match marked by an unexpected interruption. The showdown was momentarily halted for nearly an hour when an environmental activist staged a protest by glueing his feet to the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Gauff, seeded sixth, drew inspiration from the enthusiastic home crowd as she overcame her Czech opponent, Muchova, whom she had previously defeated in the Cincinnati final last month, claiming the biggest title of her career.
“Some of those points, it was so loud, and I don’t know if my ears are going to be okay,” Gauff remarked. “I grew up watching this tournament so much, so it means a lot to me to be in the final. A lot to celebrate, but the job is not done.”
Gauff now awaits the winner of the other semi-final clash between fellow American Madison Keys and Belarusian second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
However, the match faced an unexpected delay lasting approximately 50 minutes in the early stages of the second set due to a protest initiated by four spectators.
The USTA (United States Tennis Association) reported that three of the individuals were escorted out of the stadium without incident, but a fourth protester had “affixed their bare feet to the floor of the seating bowl.”
In terms of gameplay, Gauff started strongly by winning the first three games of the opening set and breaking her opponent once more in the sixth game. Muchova, the runner-up at this year’s Roland Garros, bounced back by capitalizing on some errors from the 19-year-old, breaking Gauff in the seventh game and eventually taking the set.
The second set began with a delay due to the protester’s disruption. After the resumption of play, Gauff managed to break Muchova’s serve in the eighth game but faced resistance, with Muchova saving multiple match points and extending the match.
In the end, Gauff clinched the victory despite Muchova’s tenacity, celebrating a hard-fought win and her advancement to the U.S. Open final. Muchova expressed her disappointment with her own performance, acknowledging that she was not at her best on the court.
