Coco Gauff is bouncing back in style! After a tough season with fewer titles than she’d hoped for, Gauff arrived in Riyadh fueled by an ambition to win —and it’s paying off big time. Now, as she readies herself for the WTA Finals championship match, the love and praise are pouring in. Her biggest cheerleaders? None other than her mom, Candi Gauff, and fellow American star Ben Shelton.
The American tennis sensation registered a remarkable victory against Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the tournament in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-3. But besides avenging the defeat of the Wuhan Open, Gauff also set up some new records soon after she defeated the Belarusian star, and her mother along with Shelton could not be prouder.
The 20-year-old became the youngest player to defeat the World No. 1 and World No. 2 in the same tournament since Maria Sharapova achieved the same feat in 2006 at the US Open. Remember, Gauff earlier defeated Iga Swiatek in the second match of the tournament, which was also her second victory against the Pole in the 14 encounters they have had on the courts. The latest feat, meanwhile, comes for the first time in Gauff’s career and her loved ones seem to be proud enough.
Taking to her Instagram account, Coco’s mother, Candi Gauff reshared a post by WTA which detailed the latest achievement of the player and captioned it, “❤️❤️❤️.” Similar reactions followed from Ben Shelton as well, who lauded the player’s latest run in the WTA Finals. Captioning the Instagram story, Shelton wrote “On a mission 😮💨,” signifying the athletic prowess of the player. And these praises are justified given the recent records that the WTA Star has broken after winning against Sabalenka.
It is for the first time in her career that Gauff has defeated the player ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the same tournament. In fact, she became the first American to do so since 2012, when Serena Williams defeated Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova in the WTA Finals. Besides, Gauff has also become the youngest player to qualify for the championship match of the WTA Finals since Caroline Wozniacki did it in 2010. Hence, the praises from her loved ones were evident. This, however, is not the first time when Coco Gauff has received such love from Shelton or Candi.
Soon after the American star emerged victorious in the China Open, she posted some pictures on Instagram of her unforgettable moments on-court with the trophy. Shelton was quick to share them on his story and captioned it “Young” with a goat emoji, signifying that he considers her as the new GOAT of the sport. Gauff’s mother too, expressed happiness on her daughter’s victory and commented, “Amazing fight!!!! Never say die!!!” It is probably for this support that the star player has managed to remain positive even in the toughest of situations, which helps her to victory.
“Was pretty positive” Coco Gauff reveals how she managed to outshine Aryna Sabalenka
Coco Gauff demonstrated sheer maturity while taking on Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. She did not just remain calm but also worked on her service game, and shot only two double faults in the match. But more than her skills, Gauff credits her positive outlook and resilience for her dominant victory against the Belarusian star.
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