"I want to hug her" - Coco Gauff fondly recalls historic maiden WTA title win at 2019 Linz Open
Coco Gauff won her maiden WTA title in Linz on October 13, 2019. Exactly four years later, she has fondly recalled the historic moment with an adorable caption as part of a social media post.
At 15 years and seven months, Gauff defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to become the younger player to win a WTA title since Czech Republic star Nicole Vaidisova.
The winning moment at Linz captures an anxious-looking Gauff, who is leading 5-2 (40-30), waiting for a review. A forehand from Ostapenko, initially called in, is eventually shown to be landing just outside the line, leading to jubilant celebrations from the teen and her family.
Gauff reposted the video originally shared by @gauffcfan on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, October 13, with the caption:
"I want to hug her"
Coco Gauff made her WTA Tour debut at the 2019 Miami Open, but failed to progress beyond the second round after going down to Daria Kasatkina. She then became the youngest player to qualify for the main draw at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships after receiving a wild card for the qualifiers at SW19.
A memorable first-round win against Venus Williams meant that Gauff became the youngest-ever player to win a main-draw singles match at Wimbledon. After getting past Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog, the American was defeated by eventual champion Simona Halep in the fourth round.
Following a third-round loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2019 US Open, Gauff beat Kiki Bertens and Andrea Petkovic at Linz before defeating Ostapenko to claim the title in Linz.
Coco Gauff's ascent continued from there on as she reached her maiden Grand Slam singles final at the 2022 French Open. However, she was outplayed by Iga Swiatek.
The American then went on to create more history at the US Open a year later.
Coco Gauff came of age by winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open
A semifinal win over Iga Swiatek in the 2023 Cincinnati Masters prior to the US Open was a sign of things to come for Coco Gauff. The 19-year-old proceeded to get the better of Karolina Muchova in the Cincinnati final before embarking on what was to be a remarkable campaign at Flushing Meadows.
A fourth-round win against former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki set the American up for a quarterfinal clash against Jelena Ostapenko. The latter had notably stunned defending champion Iga Swiatek on her way to the last eight.
The Latvian failed to sustain her winning momentum, going down 6-0, 6-2 against a dominant Gauff. She then eased past Karolina Muchova 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals.
Gauff faced Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final and was comprehensively beaten in the opening set. However, she then made a stupendous comeback to triumph 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
By doing so, she became the third American teenager to win the women's singles title after idol Serena Williams (1999) and Tracy Austin (1979, 1981).