Just In: Coco Gauff explains snubbing Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton after US Open heroics
Coco Gauff has admitted that she didn’t watch Ben Shelton‘s incredible US Open victory over Carlos Alcaraz because she was sleeping. Shelton defied the odds to beat the defending champion in a five-set thriller that lasted nearly four-and-a-half hours. The match was an instant classic and didn’t end until after 3.30am in New York, marking the latest finish in the tournament’s history.
Gauff, however, wasn’t among those who stayed up late to watch the action. She explained that she decided against it, knowing that staying up for such a match could affect her preparation for her own clash with Mirra Andreeva. Gauff ended up beating her Russian opponent, coming from a set down to book her place in the US Open semi-finals.
After stepping off the court, she was quizzed on Shelton’s epic victory over Alcaraz and said: “No, I didn’t see Ben and Carlos. I went to sleep after Jess’ [Pegula] match, but I did wake up and saw the score.
“I mean, if I was out of the tournament, I probably would have tried to stay up the whole time for sure. But because I’m in the tournament, I didn’t even want to watch the match because I knew once I started, it would be hard to go to sleep.
“There have been sometimes matches and I have to go to sleep in the middle of them. And it’s kind of hard for me to fall asleep because I’m thinking about what’s going to happen.
“But literally the first thing I did this morning, I literally said my prayer really quick and then I, like, checked the score and I was so happy.
“And then I was on Threads like trying to find all the highlights and everything. It was just an insane match and an insane night for American tennis and I’m really happy for Ben and Frances [Tiafoe].”
Shelton will go up against Tiafoe in the last four on Friday, which guarantees that an American player will reach this year’s US Open final.
Tiafoe came from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen in another five-setter and Gauff added that his display inspired her own victory over Andreeva.
“I think Frances was fighting,” she explained. “I was watching the end of that set and he looked like he was down and out and sometimes you just need a chance.
“I think I got my chances today. And I was just really determined to not lose that second set because I felt like I worked so hard to give myself opportunities and lost them and honestly didn’t know how the third set would go.”
