Following a tough outing at the US Open, Coco Gauff proudly embraced her determined choice to compete in China, securing a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Jessica Pegula on Sunday to claim her third WTA 1000 championship at the Wuhan Open.
At just 21 years old, Gauff captured the trophy without conceding a single set, wrapping up the contest in 1 hour and 42 minutes in central China. This triumph marked a historic milestone, as she became the first player in the Open Era to win her initial nine hard-court finals.
Looking back on her decision to participate, Gauff shared, “The Asian swing was fantastic. I wanted to challenge my coach Jean-Christophe Faurel’s doubts. I’m quite headstrong, so maybe he said that intentionally to push me harder.”
This final was notable as the first meeting between the two former doubles teammates. Gauff demonstrated remarkable grit, rallying from behind several times in the second set. While Gauff advanced smoothly through her matches, Pegula faced tougher battles, enduring three-set matches in all eight of her previous appearances in China.