Coco Gauff continued her remarkable results in China with a 6-4 7-5 victory over fellow American Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final.
The win marks Gauff’s 22nd main-draw victory in China over the past three years, more than any other WTA player in that span. The 21-year-old dropped just 16 games en route to the final (in wins over Moyuka Uchijima, Zhang Shuai, Laura Siegemund, and Jasmine Paolini) and halted Pegula’s streak of marathon battles, ending her run of eight consecutive three-set matches.
Gauff raced to a 3-0 lead to open the final, but Pegula steadied herself, reeling off four of the next five games to level at 4-4. After holding serve for 5-4, Gauff broke Pegula in the following game to clinch the opening set 6-4.
The second set saw Pegula surge ahead 3-0 with a double-break lead, seemingly on track to force another deciding set. Yet, Gauff flipped the momentum once again, clawing back to 3-3 and later recovering from another break deficit. From 4-5 down, the world No. 3 won three games in a row, sealing the title on her first championship point.
This was the first meeting between Gauff and Pegula in a final, though their friendship and former doubles partnership added an extra emotional layer to the occasion. Pegula, ten years Gauff’s senior and a familiar face across the net, had reached the final after ending Aryna Sabalenka’s 20-match Wuhan win streak in the semifinals.
This is Gauff’s 11th title and third at the WTA 1000 level.
