"Moments like this are defining moments" - Coco Gauff supports climate change cause yet admits that protest disrupted her momentum in US Open SF

Coco Gauff sealed her spot in the second Grand Slam final of her career by narrowly defeating Karolina Muchova in the semifinals of the US Open on Thursday, September 7, 2023.

Gauff was leading 1-0 lead when three climate change protestors began shouting, "End fossil fuels," forcing the chair umpire to suspend the match temporarily. After a 49-minute delay, play resumed, and the World No. 6 ultimately triumphed with a score of 6-4, 7-5.

In the post-match press conference, Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on the incident and acknowledged her belief in the importance of addressing climate change:

"Yeah, I mean, I think that throughout history moments like this are definitely defining moments. I definitely, I believe, you know, in climate change. I don't really know exactly what, you know, what they were protesting. I know it was about the environment."

"I 100% believe in that. I think there are things we can do better. I know the tournaments are doing things to do better for the environment. Would I prefer it not happening in my match? 100%, yeah. I'm not gonna sit here and lie (smiling). But it is what it is," she said.

The young sensation admitted that she would have preferred the incident not to have occurred during her match. However, since it happened peacefully, she felt she had little to complain of.

"It was done in a peaceful way, so I can't get too mad at it. Obviously I don't want it to happen when I'm winning up 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted the momentum to keep going. But hey, if that's what they felt they needed to do to get their voices heard, I can't really get upset at it."

Coco Gauff to square off against Aryna Sabalenka in title-clash at the US Open

Coco Gauff celebrates her semifinal win at the 2023 US Open

Coco Gauff will face Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open Grand Slam trophy on Sunday, September 10. Gauff is in exceptional form, having won 17 of her past 18 matches including titles at the Washington Open and the Cincinnati Open. The 19-year-old is the youngest US women's finalist after Serena Williams in 1999 and she will be aiming for her first Grand Slam trophy.

Meanwhile, reigning Australian Open champion Sabalenka advances to the final after a hard-fought three-set battle against Madison Keys. The Belarusian is the first player to reach the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events in a single year since Serena Williams in 2016. Gauff currently leads the head-to-head record with three wins to Sabalenka's two.