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Former tennis player Casey Dellacqua has picked Coco Gauff's title win at the US Open as her most memorable moment of the 2023 season.
Gauff made history by becoming the first American teenager to win the New York Major in the 21st century. The 19-year-old attained a considerable milestone in her flourishing young career after claiming her maiden Grand Slam title at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. A determined fightback from the American saw her rally from a set down to defeat an in-form Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
In a recent AO Show tennis podcast episode, Dellacqua recalled Gauff's impressive US Open title run and labeled the final as the "match of the year."
"This 2023 season has wrapped up, and I've been asked to share a couple of my... My most memorable moments from the season. So, well, actually one, but I'm going to go with two. My first one, probably match of the year, kind of tournament of the year, is the US Open win from Coco Gauff for me," Dellacqua said.
Dellacqua added that Gauff's performance at the New York Major was "exceptional" for a 19-year-old as she highlighted her comeback win against Sabalenka in the final.
"She [Gauff] just played some exceptional tennis at only 19 years of age. I just think she's going to be such an exciting player to watch for many years to come. She came back from a set down against Sabalenka in the final one, the first set, lost the second set, and just showed such grit. And I think that's something worthy of highlighting," she continued.
The Australian mentioned Iga Swiatek's No. 1 finish in the year-end rankings as the other best memory of the 2023 season.
"Other one is Iga Swiatek. Got one major title at the Roland Garros, but she only lost 20 games through the WTA finals and finished world number one. So well-deserved from Iga Swiatek," Dellacqua added.
A look back at Coco Gauff's title run at the 2023 US Open
Coco Gauff commenced her campaign at the 2023 US Open with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win against Laura Siegemund. In the second round, she met Mirra Andreeva and triumphed 6-3, 6-2.
Gauff then met Elise Mertens, against whom she registered yet another comeback victory, reminiscent of her first-round win. She then defeated Caroline Wozniacki over three sets to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Gauff avenged her defeat against Jelena Ostapenko at the Australian Open earlier this year. She beat Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 to set up a semi-final clash against Karolina Muchova. The American prevailed 6-4, 7-5 before beating Sabalenka in the summit clash.
