Coco Gauff, an American adolescent, delivered on her promise by winning her first Grand Slam championship with a comeback victory over Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final.
Coco Gauff, seeded sixth, began poorly in front of a raucous home crowd but gained confidence to defeat second seed Sabalenka in New York.
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Gauff, 19, won 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on a frantic Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I feel like I’m in a little bit of shock at the moment,” Gauff said.
“I feel like God puts you through tribulations and trials and that makes this even sweeter,” added the American, who lost in her only other major singles final at the 2022 French Open.
“I’m thankful for this moment. I don’t have any words.”
Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Sabalenka must wait for a second major victory.
At the very least, the 25-year-old Belarussian can comfort herself with the knowledge that she will reach world number one for the first time.
Gauff will go up to third in the current rankings, which will be revealed on Monday, but winning her maiden major at her home Grand Slam is what really matters.
Coco Gauff instantly fell on the court and lay on the sideline with her hands covering her face after securing victory with a backhand winner on her first championship point.
Almost the whole 24,000-person crowd, which had been cheering Gauff on throughout, erupted in a frantic jubilation.
Gauff, filled with emotion, gave the supporters a heart sign before heading up to the stands to meet her parents, Corey and Candi.
All three hugged and jumped in a circle, as the family’s sacrifices and hard work had resulted in one of the sport’s most prestigious awards.
Asked to describe that moment, a laughing Gauff said: “When I hugged my dad, I didn’t see him, because he went immediately for the embrace – but I heard him crying.
“I have never seen that man cry in my life. My mum, I knew she was going to cry regardless if I won or lost.
“Honestly [I was thinking] nothing. The whole time I was saying to myself, ‘Oh my goodness, how is this real?
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Coco Gauff has been expected to become a Grand Slam champion since she broke onto the scene as a 15-year-old wonder at Wimbledon in 2019.
She is now the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams in 1999, after a large but consistent rise as she adapted to the professional level.
