"Beastinnnn" - Taylor Townsend, Ben Shelton and others react as Coco Gauff reaches maiden US Open final with win over Karolina Muchova
The tennis world heaped praise on Coco Gauff for her stunning victory over Karolina Muchova in the 2023 US Open semifinals. The 19-year-old reached her maiden New York Major final and became the youngest American to achieve the feat since Serena Williams in 2001.
Following an impressive straight-sets win over Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, Gauff squared off against French Open finalist Muchova in a highly anticipated encounter on Thursday, September 7. The match lived up to its expectations with both players giving their all on the pitch.
Gauff remained collected and took advantage of the home crowd's energy to get past the Czech 6-4, 7-5 on th night.
Taking to social media, Taylor Townsend hailed the fellow American on her historic triumph.
"Beastinnnn," Townsend wrote on Instagram.
Meanwhile, tennis legend Billie Jean King congratulated Gauff for having replicated Williams' achievement from 2001.
"Congratulations to @cocogauff, the youngest American player to make the US Open final since Serena Williams in 2001," the tweet read.
Ben Shelton, who has reached the US Open semifinals in men's singles, also praised Gauff on her win.
Gauff's former mixed doubles partner Christopher Eubanks was quick to commend the youngster as well.
"I grew up watching this tournament; it means a lot to be in the final" - Coco Gauff on reaching maiden US Open final
Coco Gauff was ecstatic after reaching her maiden US Open final, stating that making it to the final meant a lot to her as she had grown up watching the tournament.
During her on-court interview, Gauff maintained that the job is still not done despite reasons to celebrate.
"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 said.
Gauff later reflected on the match, stating that it was hard to get into a rhythm initially and that she had to trust herself in the moment to get across the line.
"She’s the type of player it’s so hard to get a rhythm," she stated. "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."
Coco Gauff will face second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday, September 9. This will be their sixth meeting on the tour. Gauff leads 3-2 in the head-to-head.