This morning, Friday 8, September, American tennis player Coco Gauff reached her first ever US Open singles final after beating Czechia’s Karolina Muchova in the women’s semi-final despite the match being disrupted by protesters.
Gauff eliminated Muchova in a 6-4 7-5 win to advance to the women’s final. However, the flow of the match was interrupted by the climate protesters, resulting in play being stopped for a total of 49 minutes.
COCO GAUFF IS HEADED FOR HER FIRST US OPEN FINAL! 😤#USOpen pic.twitter.com/f6AjWnrqik
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 8, 2023
The protesters were wearing t-shirts branded against fossil fuels and began to chant after the first set of the match, which forced the temporary suspension of the game. One protester had even glued their feet to the concrete. The US Open security were to quick to escort three of the four protesters but it took longer for the fourth to be removed.
During the disruption, both Gauff and Muchova left the court – at this point Gauff was leading 6-41-0. The United States Tennis Association eventually confirmed that all four protesters were in New York Police Department custody.
When the play resumed, Gauff went on to win the rest of the semi-final match. She sealed her victory on her sixth match point.
Gauff will face Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s singles final on Saturday 8, September at the same court of Arthur Ashe Stadium.