By Tony Fairbairn
- Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Coco Gauff [6]
- H2H: Gauff leads 3-2
NEW YORK, USA – Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff search for their maiden US Open title when they face each other in the women’s singles final.
 |
Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Coco Gauff [6] | H2H & Match Fundamentals
Aryna Sabalenka has had a very successful US Open so far having already earned the world number one ranking for the first time in her career, Sabalenka is now into her maiden US Open final. The second seed has displayed resilience, consistency and power over the last year as her last set tiebreak win over Madison Keys means she now has the opportunity to win the second Grand Slam title of her career. Standing in Sabalenka’s way is Coco Gauff who is the youngest American since Serena Williams in 1999 and as a result of her win over Karolina Muchova, now has the chance to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the age of 19.
| Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Coco Gauff [6] | H2H: Gauff leads 3-2 |
| US Open 2023 | New York, USA |
| Hard (O) | Prize Money: $1,500,000/$3,000,000 |
| Second on Arthur Ashe Stadium, not before 4pm (9pm BST) | Sky/Now TV Subscription Required |
Both players have had testing matches with Sabalenka having the more efficient run to the final while Gauff had the tougher draw on paper ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Aryna Sabalenka [2] route to the final
- R1: Maryna Zanevska 6-3 6-2
- R2: Jodie Burrage 6-3 6-2
- R3: Clara Burel 6-1 6-1
- R4: Daria Kasatkina [13] 6-1 6-3
- QF: Qinwen Zheng 6-1 6-4
- SF: Madison Keys [17] 0-6 7-6(1) 7-6(5)
Coco Gauff [6] route to the final
- R1: Laura Siegemund [Q] 3-6 6-2 6-4
- R2: Mirra Andreeva 6-3 6-2
- R3: Elise Mertens [32] 3-6 6-3 6-0
- R4: Caroline Wozniacki [WC] 6-3 3-6 6-1
- QF: Jelena Ostapenko [20] 6-0 6-2
- SF: Karolina Muchova [10] 6-4 7-5
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2023)
| H2H: | Aryna Sabalenka (WR 2) | Coco Gauff (WR 6) |
| Tournament Previous Best | SF (2021, 2022) | QF (2022) |
| 1st Serve Return Points Won % | 37.8 | 40 |
| Return Points Won % | 45.1 | 45.8 |
| Break Point Conversion % | 44.7 | 47.2 |
| Break Point Saved % | 61.7 | 59.7 |
| Total Points Won % | 54.6 | 53.2 |
Sabalenka has been the more consistent on serve but it’s Gauff who has played the bigger points slightly better heading into the final.
 |
Playing Styles and Prediction
It has been a sensational tournament for Sabalenka who has been ruthless and efficient for most of the tournament but had to show her resilience against Keys in a three set thriller.
Now the soon-to-be world number one will look to end the Grand Slam year as she started it by achieving Grand Slam glory. Speaking after her win over Keys, Sabalenka revealed the secret behind her resilience after reaching a first US Open final.
“I [kept] reminding myself that I lost a lot of tough matches,” Sabalenka told the WTA website.
“One day all those matches should just, like, help me somehow. This kind of thinking helped me to stay in the game and give me some hope that I’ll be able to turn around this match, that the match is not over until the last point, and that I just have to keep fighting, keep trying to find my rhythm, my game, just find myself.
“Magically I finally found the game, and I was able to turn around this match and to get this win.”
In the final Sabalenka will face another American in the form of Gauff who has been in incredible form over the last month and has carried that form into the US Open in what has been a tough draw. Now in her second Grand Slam final, Gauff will look to win a Grand Slam title at the age of 19 as she looks to follow in the footsteps of some of her biggest idols.
Ahead of the final Gauff spoke about her pride at keeping expectations realistic and remaining concentrated throughout the tournament.
“I have been focusing more on myself and my expectations of myself,” Gauff told the WTA website.
“Not going on social media…. I really believe that now I have the maturity and ability to do it. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I’m really proud of how I have been handling the last few weeks.
“It was a tough match. I had leads, lost it. It was a lot of emotional, I guess, challenges in the match. But I think I did a good job of staying focused.”
Sabalenka will look to make a better start to the match than she did against Keys as she will aim to dictate with her serve and forehand. Meanwhile Gauff will look to play smart returns as she looks to remain consistent and efficient on break points.
This match could go either way and will really test how far Gauff has come as in the past, the American has struggled to control her game against Sabalenka when it’s mattered the most. The smartest and more composed player should win this match with the slight edge going to Sabalenka but whatever happens, it sure is going to be an incredible spectacle.
Prediction: Sabalenka in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow US Open 2023
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
 Sign up to PBLC for free to support ongoing contributions from Britwatch Sports |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |