Coco Gauff beat Jelena Ostapenko in Linz to claim her first tour title.
The 15-year-old from the United States beat the 2017 French Open champion 6-3 1-6 6-2.
Gauff was not even supposed to be in the main draw, but got in as a lucky loser.
The young tennis player from Delray Beach commented on her crazy week: “It’s just literally insane that I got in as a lucky loser and now I’m the champion.”
The young tennis player from Florida is enjoying the best moment of her young tennis career. She now becomes the youngest to crack into the top 100 since Sesil Karatantcheva in 2005.
“I’m still overwhelmed and shocked. I think it’s crazy to say it’s my first WTA title. This was definitely not on the calendar at the beginning of the year, because I didn’t think I’d have a chance to get in, and now I’m the champion, so it’s crazy”, Gauff said about her historic achievement.
She was well outside the top 600 at the beginning of the season, but the 15-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season.
This summer, she reached the fourth round at Wimbledon after playing in the qualifying rounds and becoming the youngest tennis player to get into the main draw of The Championships and beating Venus Williams in the first round.
In late August, she made history once again, by reaching the third round of the US Open, losing only to eventual champion, Naomi Osaka.
The 15-year-old wonder kid is still in high school, but since the age of ten that she trains at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy, run by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’s coach.
She also has the same manager as Roger Federer and Tony Godsick.
Gauff will now play in Luxembourg, where her first opponent is Anna Blinkova.
Picture by si.robi under Creative Media Commons.
