Coco Goff vs Aryna Sabalenka: How to watch US Open women’s final as American chases glory on home soil

CNN
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Then there were two.

After two grueling weeks, the girls US Open The draw concludes on Saturday with a much-anticipated final between the home favourites Coco Coffee and world no. 2 Arena Sabalenka.

Both players have produced stunning tennis en route to the final. Gaff She will be confident she can clear the final hurdle in front of a partisan crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Action for the final Grand Slam title of the season begins at 4pm ET. Viewers in the US can watch all the action on ESPN.

First Grand Slam for Goff?

The last time Goff and Sabalenka met was in the Indian Wells quarter-finals in March, with the Belarusian winning easily 6-4 6-0. Saturday’s final should be a completely different match, however, as Goff has improved rapidly in the last six months since that defeat.

The 19-year-old has won three WTA titles this season The biggest of his career in Cincinnati Just before the US Open, he had won 17 of his last 18 matches. She is the youngest American woman to reach the US Open final since 17-year-old Serena Williams reached the US Open final in 1999.

“Serena is Serena. She is a goat. I hope I do half of what she did,” Gough said, according to the WTA.

It was the second Grand Slam final of Goff’s career after reaching the French Open final in 2022, where he was quickly defeated by Ika Svidek.

But following her 6-4 7-5 semi-final win over Karolina Muchova, Goff spoke of an improvement in her mindset, from someone suffering from impostor syndrome to now believing she is capable of competing with the world’s best.

“I think [imposter syndrome] Still a part of me,” she said. “It’s definitely something I’ve been doing better. Even after that [winning Washington] DC, I was still like: ‘Well, I hit some good guys, but maybe I caught them on holiday.’

“It’s still definitely a part of me, but I think I give myself more credit and talk about things more authentically. I try to talk more positively about myself and tell myself that I’m actually a better player.

The sixth seed told reporters after her first-round Wimbledon loss that she was “very proud of myself” for her performance at Flushing Meadows, before saying she was “getting ready for next year”.

“I’m more focused on myself and my expectations of myself,” Goff said, via Reuters. “I believe I have the maturity and ability to do that now.”

Up to her Semifinal against Madison KeysSabalenka dominated New York – never dropping a set and never losing more than five games in a match.

However, he was pushed all the way by the American on Thursday and had to recover from a brutal 6-0 first-set deficit to eventually win 0-6 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (10-5). .after two and a half hours of intense tennis.

With Keys looking likely to win late in the second set, Goff was asked about the prospect of facing a fellow American in the post-match press conference.

Sabalenka won three titles, including her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and her sixth Masters 1000 title in Madrid. Win or lose on Saturday, the new world No. 1 will be in place on Monday.

Despite winning the last time they met, Sabalenka has heralded Goff’s growth this season and says she is a “much better” player now than she was six months ago.

“He’s improved a lot,” Sabalenka told reporters after his semi-final. “So it’s a different player – we don’t really want to think about that match.

“Going into this final, I think I have to focus on myself and prepare myself for another fight. No matter what, keep fighting and play the best I can.

“You know, you can’t do anything, what else can you do? You have to be there and you have to fight for it.

Sabalenka will no doubt have to play in front of a partisan crowd in Saturday’s final, but he said he is confident of handling the occasion, having already come through an intense situation against Keys on Thursday.

“Sure, I’d love to [to] There must be someone else or [the] The crowd will be a bit similar for both players, but I think today’s match will help me in the final as I will be fine with this support. I will be fine,” she said.

I still hope that some of them will support me – a little. Sometimes, please. Please” she smiled.