Coco Gauff conquered Queens, New York during her US Open women’s final victory on Saturday. Not long after, she channeled her inner Jay-Z to celebrate.
The 19-year-old defeated Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to seal her first grand slam title in front of a partisan crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Hours after winning the tournament, Gauff posted a photo on X of her kissing the trophy. She captioned the post with some lyrics from Jay-Z’s hit song “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys.
“Concrete jungle where dreams are made of……,” said Gauff.
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…… @usopen pic.twitter.com/Zgx3mRAFkc
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 10, 2023
Gauff is the youngest American since the turn of the century to win the US Open. Serena Williams in 1999 was the last US player younger than Gauff to win the home major.
Gauff’s triumph is certainly one worthy of admiration. She lost the opening set after being broken by Sabalenka during the opening game of the match and lost the first set 2-6. But she rallied back to win.
Her celebration at the end reflected the monumental moment.
Coco Gauff wins the US Open for her first Grand Slam title! pic.twitter.com/clBRL0N58n
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 9, 2023
Perhaps Gauff drew some inspiration from one of her usual prematch rituals to pull off the storybook finish.
