Protestors interrupted the U.S. Open.
But not even their antics could stop Coco Gauff and her inexorable march toward her first Grand Slam title.
The American teen phenomenon grounded out a 6-4, 7-5 semifinal victory over Karolina Muchova on Thursday night, a match delayed almost 50 minutes due to a group of climate-change protesters in the loge section of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
One even glued his bare feet to the concrete floor, with security and law enforcement taking well over half an hour to figure out how to pry him away.
But on the court, Gauff’s feet were as fleet as ever, running Muchova into the ground and running her way into the final.
“The job’s not done,” said Gauff, channeling the late Kobe Bryant. “That’s the mentality that I have. I’m trying to enjoy the moment but also knowing I still have more work to do. Yes, the final is an incredible achievement, but it’s something that I’m not satisfied with yet.”
Gauff, 19, chased down ball after ball from Muchova, that athletic defense contributing to a 17 unforced errors in the first set by the Czech. She broke Muchova’s very first service game, ran out to a 5-1 lead in taking the first set.
But Gauff wasn’t gifted the second set; she had to earn it. Whether the lengthy delay cooled her off or helped Muchova, it was contested on far more even terms.
“I tried to take it as a positive kind of. I could talk to my coaches. They were trying to wake me up,” Muchova said with a wan smile. “So, yeah, I tried. After the break, I actually played a little better, but it was not enough to play great against Coco, to beat her.”
The last hour was championship-quality tennis, and Gauff came out on top, earning a date versus No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, who beat American Madison Keys 0-6, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (10-5) later in the other semifinal.
“Yeah, it was a bit challenging because it’s not like a typical delay. So we didn’t know how long it was going to take. … They said it could be as quick as five minutes or as long as an hour. It was tough to figure out if we stay warm or conserve energy,” Gauff said. “But it’s life; it happens. So I just try my best to keep the momentum that I had going from winning the first set and the first game.”
Gauff, now 17-1 since adding the renowned Brad Gilbert to her coaching team, knows all about momentum.
Early in the second set with Gauff leading 6-4, 1-0, play was interrupted for nearly 50 minutes by what appeared to be a group of fans wearing “End Climate Change” shirts.
Four were removed and given trespass notices. A police spokesperson told The Post “the investigation is still ongoing” as of 10:17 p.m.
“Definitely, I believe in climate change. … I 100 percent believe in that. There are things we can do better,” Gauff said. “Would I prefer it not happen in my match? One hundred percent, yeah. I’m not going to sit here and lie. But it is what it is.
“Moments like this are history-defining moments. I prefer it not to happen in my match, but I wasn’t pissed at the protesters. I know the stadium was because [the protest] just interrupted entertainment. I always speak about preaching about what you feel and what you believe in. It was done in a peaceful way, so I can’t get too mad at it.”
At 5-3, Muchova staved off a match point with a forehand winner, eventually pulling even at 5-5. But the teen held to go up 6-5 and earned five more match points, the last one through a 40-shot rally.
The sixth match point proved the charm. Gauff predicted Muchova would be gassed from the long rally and would go for a winner. The teen was prescient, clinching the victory on the Czech’s errant backhand, her 36th unforced error of the night.
The crowd erupted, Gauff cupped her hand to her ear and soaked up the applause.
The well-earned applause.
