I was more to blame than Coco Gauff for the US Open final defeat: Sabalenka Aryn
Aryna Sabalenka believes that her defeat against Coco Gauff in the US Open final was more a result of the mistakes she made that day. On Saturday, Coco Gauff defeated Sabalenka despite Sabalenka winning the opening set.
Ankush Pandey
According to Aryna Sabalenka, her defeat in the US Open final against Coco Gauff was more a result of errors she made on Saturday.
The Belarusian player Sabalenka won the opening set of the match 6-2, giving her the advantage early on. In this early stage, Gauff had trouble getting into a rhythm, and Sabalenka broke her serve in the opening game. The American teen didn't let this early failure stop her, though.
Gauff stunned Sabalenka in the second set, outlasting her 6-3. In the fourth game, she broke Sabalenka's serve and had a remarkable 81% first-serve success rate. Her dedication could be seen in her impassioned yells and fist pumps, and her confidence appeared to increase with each point.
Gauff controlled the decisive set, taking an early 4-0 lead. Gauff maintained her position despite Sabalenka's last-ditch attempts and a medical timeout at 4-1. Gauff won the US Open with a final set score of 6-2 after two hours and six minutes.
Gauff defeated his opponent 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in two hours and six minutes.
Sabalenka was quick to compliment Gauff at the post-match news conference, but she also acknowledged that she contributed more to the defeat by making mistakes at crucial junctures in the game.
The good news, Sabalenka said, "is that it's me versus me. The unfortunate part, in my opinion, is that I continue to experience problems while competing against myself.
"She was moving pretty well and defended really wonderfully, better than anyone else, I would say. I was forced to play as an additional ball every time. It combines all of these things. However, I believe that today was more a result of me. Not the entire game, but there [were] crucial moments in the second set that I lost, and those moments let her turn the [match] around.
"After that, of course, her incredible defensive performance (was significant), but I would say that because of the crucial moments in the second set, it was more about me than her. I failed at this game.
Sabalenka continued by saying that she should not have missed any balls in the final since she was overthinking the situation.
The 25-year-old said, "I can get emotional sometimes. "I was overthinking today on the court and I was missing balls I shouldn't have been missing.
What I'm saying is that. I'm hitting several winners and unforced errors at the same time. Today, there were many unforced errors made in the second set, and it was at that point that I "allowed" her to think she may win the match. I became really emotional following the second set.
"So, yeah, that's what I mean, like me against me," the speaker said.
