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Coco Gauff is advancing to the US Open finals. Following a long and delayed match against Karolina Mulchova, the 19 year old advanced to the finals, becoming the youngest American woman to reach the finals since Serena Williams in 2001.
Gauff played Mulchova on Thursday night, which was interrupted by climate change protesters. The protesters put the match on hold for almost 50 minutes, a disruptive moment for both players.
"It was a tough match," Gauff said after the game. "It was a lot of emotional challenges in the match but I think I did a good job of staying focused and I'm really proud of myself today."
Despite the interruption, Gauff shared her respect for the protestors and advocated for climate change. "Would I prefer it not happen in my match? 100 percent, yeah, but it is what it is and I had a feeling it was going to happen this tournament. It happened at the French Open, happened at Wimbledon, so following the trend it was going to happen here... I know the stadium was (angry) but I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in and it was done in a peaceful way so I can't get too mad about it.”
Gauff’s upcoming US Open final
Gauff is currently the number 6 seed, and is the third youngest woman to reach two Grand Slam finals. Her career over the past couple of years has been impressive to watch, with her reaching the French Open finals last year.
This Saturday, Gauff faces the Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka, who’s ascending to the number 1 spot on Monday regardless of the results of the US Open final.