Over the course of the past couple of weeks, the most famous tennis tournament in America has been underway: the US Open.
The women’s draw finished in an extraordinary display of competition between American Coco Gauff and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, both of whom have shown tremendous prowess in the past couple of years. Gauff emerged victorious over Sabalenka 2-6 6-2 6-3, becoming a US Open champion at only nineteen.
Gauff is sponsored by New Balance, making for her sporting their latest activewear all tournament. In a recent collaboration, she created “Coco CG1” shoes as part of her “City Brights” collection. These are available for $170. She wore these while playing Sabalenka, paired with her custom New Balance crop top and corresponding skirt in a garnet red. I loved the color of her outfit, as I think darker colors like deep red, emerald green, etc., are not often seen on tour and deserve more representation. However, she wore this with neon yellow sweatbands, which I am not a fan of. The two highly different colors are unique but somewhat jarring to me. I believe light pink would have been a better partner for her dark red outfit.
However, the structure and flow of her outfit is beautiful. As it is custom, her outfit cannot be purchased by the public, so further details, such as breathability technology and more, are unknown.
Lily’s Analysis:
Style: (colors, fabric, composition) 6.5/10
Function: (comfort, breathability) 8/10 (based on my observations)
Gauff’s opponent, Sabalenka, took to the stage in a custom red-toned Nike dress. This dress is resemblant of past Nike popular dress styles, with a high-neck and fluttery bottom. I am nothing less than obsessed with her outfit choice. I’ve always pined over Nike’s tennis dresses, and her choice to dress in deep red and coral tones is one I love. It features an asymmetrical hemline and mesh elastic waistband, a classic touch. Sabalenka wore this with NikeCourt Zoom NXT shoes in Noble Red, another touch I approve of. I can easily see myself wearing this dress, given the chance.
As her dress is also custom, further details remain a mystery, but other similar dresses in Nike’s New York collection retail for $130. The closest dress in this collection to Sabalenka’s is the Nike Women’s Fall Club dress, which is a ruby red. It retails for $90.
Lily’s Analysis:
Style: (colors, fabric, composition) 10/10
Function: (comfort, breathability) 9/10 (assuming)
Between Gauff and Sabalenka’s outfit picks, I prefer Sabalenka’s. Her classic, gorgeous Nike dress can’t be topped by Gauff’s New Balance ensemble, even though hers is also admirable. Sabalenka’s dress was her first custom outfit, and it was flawless. Tennis dresses also add extra glamour and femininity to the sport, something perfect for female tennis players on tennis’s biggest stage.
