Gauff beats Pegula to capture Wuhan Open

Coco Gauff showed again why she is among the biggest players in the field of tennis, instead, being down 4-6, 5-7, she comes back to win the final of the Wuhan Open over fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5. The win made Gauff her third title of WTA 1000 and her first in Wuhan.

The 21-year-old French open champion appeared in trouble early in the second set where he was trailing 0-3 with two matches to serve. But Gauff was not ready to give up and tore her way to 3-5 and then charged through four consecutive games to end the match in the straight sets.

The victory adds to Gauff having 11 career WTA singles titles, including the past WTA 1000 wins, at Cincinnati (2023), and Beijing (2024). It is also her third WTA 1000 final in the year, having lost to Madrid and Rome respectively.

Now ranked No. 3 in the world, Gauff had made another mark in Wuhan making her the first woman since Serena Williams to win nine straight hard-court finals. The last time Williams did it was between 2013 U.S Open and 2015 Cincinnati.

It was a special day to both players as it was the final of Sunday. It was the first championship match in the history of Gauff and Pegua who until 2023 were a successful doubles team that won trophies at Miami and Doha.

In the trophy ceremony, Gauff said that when she first came on tour, one of the first people to treat her kindly and accept her with open arms was you (Pegula). That is a long way, and it is nice to finally play you in a final.

Pegula herself had been on the impressive run, taking out the world No. 1 and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals to eliminate her 20-match winning streak in Wuhan. She is a 31-year-old marathon player this season with 27 of her matches going to three sets including her last eight, which she won seven out of.

You have been playing a lot of three-setters – you are a three-set queen, Gauff joked back. I did not want to leave it that late to-day.

The new title is another addition to a blossoming resume that is already placing Gauff in the company of the elite – and at the forefront of American tennis.

Also Read: Amanda Anisimova wins the China Open to capture her second 1000 WTA title