The 19-year-old became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

Williams’ final farewell to tennis at the same championships last year left a colossal void in tennis in the US.

So it felt only natural that Gauff, the heir apparent to the 23-time grand slam winner, stepped into her shoes 12 months later.

Sabalenka will be the new world number one on Monday after a remarkably consistent year in which she won the Australian Open and reached the semi-finals in Paris and at Wimbledon.

But that will be scant consolation for the 25-year-old from Belarus after she put herself in position to win her second grand slam title, only to fold as Gauff claimed her first, thrilling a raucous crowd with a memorable 2-6 6-3 6-2 victory.