From teary past to happiness, Aryna Sabalenka has triumphed by lifting her first US Open title. However, as Sabalenka basks in her newfound glory, the spotlight has shifted from the emerging Coco Gauff. Former pro, Caitlin Thompson has made headlines by downplaying Gauff’s authority over the US Open title, giving a shoutout to Sabalenka’s remarkable achievement.

A year ago, while Coco Gauff was celebrating her maiden major victory, Aryna Sabalenka was leaving the US Open in tears after finishing second and losing to someone else in her pursuit of a Grand Slam title. In 2021 and 2022, Sabalenka advanced to the semifinals but was eliminated both times. But this year, the Belarusian superstar turned things around.

While Sabalenka was enjoying her win, Caitlin Thompson’s remarks grabbed notice by disparaging Coco Gauff’s prior dominance over the US Open championship. Rather, Thompson gave Sabalenka a heartfelt shout-out, highlighting the importance of her accomplishment and the remarkable path she traveled to get there.

She said, “A year ago, she was in her ski goggles and Balenciaga hat, having basically donated the final to Coco Gauff. We love Coco Gauff. We’ll talk about her more, but like watching Arena claim what was rightfully hers in such a fashion, emphatically with joy, with creativity, with the fastest forehand, with stress, which is easy, yeah, but it was everything that she is, which is everything.”

After Aryna Sabalenka’s stunning victory at the US Open, which signaled a happy turning point in her career, Gauff is also concerned about why she isn’t one of the big three. In response to this debate, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick distinguished between average and exceptional athletes.

Roddick cited Coco Gauff as a prime illustration of this distinction. Despite her excellent rise, Gauff has risen to the third spot in the WTA rankings, behind Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. She stated, “I think Coco was in that conversation, post-US Open last year. I think she’s maybe struggled a little bit more, a lot of double faults.”

Just hours after clinching her first U.S. Open title, Aryna Sabalenka couldn’t contain her excitement, describing herself as “super happy.” The Belarusian powerhouse’s joy was palpable as she reflected on her historic victory, and talked about her last year’s defeat.

Aryna Sabalenka talks about her US Open win

Sabalenka reflected on the lessons she learned from the 2023 US Open final against Coco Gauff, particularly how to engage with the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd. She noted, “After last year’s experience against Coco, I didn’t expect the crowd to be that loud.”

Sabalenka added that during the recent tournament, she felt a profound sense of support, which kept her motivated. In addition, she said that she was super proud of herself and her team. She was grateful for the lessons she learnt as they helped her and her team get back stronger, and hold the beautiful trophy.

While Gauff made headlines last year with her remarkable triumph, Sabalenka’s relentless determination and ability to overcome past setbacks have solidified her as a dominant force in women’s tennis.