Young Coco Gauff has rolled into the finals of the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The rising tennis star is still learning from her mistakes and improving her game. While she does have a long way to go, Gauff has faith in herself and her abilities.
She took on defending champion Liudmilla Samsonova and easily defeated her in two sets in the semifinal clash. At the end of the match, the scoreline read 6-3, 6-3.
Following her win against Samsonova, Gauff made an audacious statement about herself. She said, “With physicality, I am one of the best on tour, to be honest, when it comes to that aspect. I knew the longer the games go, the longer the rallies go, the better they are for me.
Coco Gauff after beating Samsonova:
“With physicality… I’m 1 of the best on tour when it comes to that”
Crowd goes WILD.
There’s nothing wrong with confidence.
Love seeing this. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/p7hHkX6gug
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 5, 2023
The crowd absolutely loved her confidence. However, it seems not everyone is happy with Gauff’s boldness. To some, it even came across as arrogance. Here are some reactions where people were bothered by her attitude.
It’s arrogance
— matt (@MDBWFC21) August 6, 2023
Beat Iga. How about get a set from her. Nah, you still have a ways to go.
— stacey dotson (@stephensgold1) August 6, 2023
Physicality? It’s not a match in pugilism (boxing, mma, American Football, Rugby). I mean seriously these words are just regurgitation of crap the players get fed by “sports psychologists” who have never played a sport in their lives.
— Michael (@MichaelBBORU) August 6, 2023
Coco Gauff has looked in good touch at the Citi Open. She has made her way to her second final of the year by defeating Samsonova. Gauff will take on Maria Sakkari in the final clash.
Coco Gauff defeated the defending champion Liudmila Samsonova at Washington
In the semifinal showdown at Citi Open, 3rd-seeded Coco Gauff easily overcame the defending champion. With this win, Gauff has continued her amazing run. She has not dropped a single set so far, and she has played exceedingly well.
The match between Gauff and Samsonova lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes in its entirety. This win marked Coco’s 20th win over a Top 20 player. Coco has lost only 14 games in the three matches she played this week.
Finals bound in DC @mubadalacitidc 💞 pic.twitter.com/zjwNBPCF5a
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) August 5, 2023
Gauff breezed through the first set without facing a break point. Samsonova tried to press hard in the second set but Coco took an early lead. She broke Samsonova in the final game of the match to reach the Citi Open final.
Gauff hit 20 winners in the match and did not drop her serve even once. Samsonova on the other hand hit 24 winners but they were nullified by 50 unforced errors.
Gauff’s finale clash with Sakkari will not be an easy one for the American teen. The two players have locked horns 5 times, with Sakkari coming out on top 4 times out of 5. If Gauff wants to win her second WTA title of the year, she will have to bring her best game to the tennis court.