For Coco Gauff, the US Open ended with a painful reminder of how little separates winning from walking away. But as the disappointment settled in, the American also left behind something far more encouraging: a glimpse of the player she could become.
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Elena Rybakina silenced Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday, fighting back to beat the fourth-seeded American 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and book her place in the final. The loss stung, particularly in front of a partisan New York crowd that included former first lady Michelle Obama. Yet Gauff’s reaction afterward offered a different perspective.
Instead of dwelling only on the defeat, the 22-year-old looked at the bigger picture. She had reached the latter stages of another Grand Slam, put together a strong summer, and, perhaps most importantly, felt that her game was moving in the right direction.
That belief was evident when Gauff looked around the remaining players in the women’s draw and noticed something that may become increasingly significant over the next few seasons. “I am looking at the other semi-finalists. They are older than me, by three or four years,” she said.
Rather than viewing that gap as something to worry about, Gauff seemed energized by it. She knows the work that has gone into getting here, and she is already thinking about what another two or three years of that work could produce. “Now I am just excited to keep putting in the work for another year or another two years, and see where I’m at at 24 or 25. I want to see where my game can take me and hopefully it can be on the winning end of matches like this,” Gauff added.
That outlook is precisely why Andy Roddick believes the American’s progress deserves a closer look. On a recent episode of the Served podcast, the former world No. 1 urged people not to judge Gauff solely by one heartbreaking night in New York.
“Let’s also think about where she was a year ago. I mean, it was we saw her kind of almost have like the closest she’ll get to like a breakdown where hands were shaking on a switchover because she couldn’t serve,” Roddick said. “So, listen, let’s judge it on a match and let’s also judge it on year-over-year progress.”
And that comparison is difficult to ignore. Twelve months ago, Gauff’s US Open campaign briefly appeared to be unraveling when she faced Donna Vekic in the second round. Seven double faults and four lost service games left her trailing 5-4 and 6-5 in the opening set. At one point, she was visibly emotional, her hands shaking as the pressure mounted.
Yet Gauff found a way through it. She forced a tiebreak, eventually took the set, and after a bathroom break during Vekic’s medical timeout, returned looking like a different player. She went on to win in straight sets.
“I just show people what it’s like to be a human, and I have bad days, but I think it’s more about how you get up after those bad moments and how you show up after that,” Gauff said afterward.
“I think today I showed that I can get up after feeling the worst I’ve ever felt on the court.”
A year later, the picture looks remarkably different. The serve that once became a source of panic has developed into one of the clearest signs of Gauff’s progress. Even Rybakina praised the American’s serving after their semifinal, underlining just how much ground Gauff has covered.
Coco Gauff Reveals What Her Father Said to Her After US Open Exit
Still, progress does not make losing hurt any less. Rybakina found her opening in the second set, capitalized on Gauff’s loose moments, and then grabbed control of the decider by breaking for a 5-3 lead. Gauff immediately fought back, but could not consolidate the momentum, with Rybakina breaking again to close out the match.
The numbers reflected just how tight the contest was. Gauff converted three of five break points, while Rybakina converted four of six. The American won 71% of her second-serve points compared with Rybakina’s 59%, while Rybakina had the edge on first-serve points, 76% to 58%. In the end, Rybakina won only six more points across the entire match.
There was no collapse. No obvious gulf. Just a handful of moments that tilted the match toward the Kazakh star.
And that made the defeat even harder for Gauff to swallow. Her father, Corey, tried to remind her of everything she had accomplished during the summer. Gauff’s response showed just how fiercely she wanted this particular trophy.
“My dad came up to me and was like, ‘You accomplished so many great things this summer,’ and I’m like, I don’t care about the summer,” Gauff said. “But, I mean, it’s the goal. I want to be a consistent player. I want to give myself as many opportunities to lift a trophy.”
That hunger may hurt tonight, but it could prove valuable tomorrow. Gauff has already shown she can recover from difficult moments, correct problems quickly, and return stronger. Her Cincinnati title was another piece of evidence, and her run in New York added another.
For now, Rybakina has the final and Gauff has the disappointment. But if Roddick’s reminder is anything to go by, the real story may not be what happened in this semifinal. It may be what happens when Gauff returns to this stage at 24 or 25.
She has already shown rivals what she can do at 22. The more intriguing question is what they will have to deal with once the next few years of work catch up with her ambition.