Coco Gauff sailed through the final four games of the second set to defeat fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 and capture the Wuhan Open on Sunday in China.
It was the first time the third-seeded Gauff and sixth-seeded Pegula — friends and former doubles partners — met in a final.
Gauff needed one hour and 42 minutes to defeat Pegula, who couldn’t capitalize on a 3-0 lead in the second set. With Pegula leading 5-3, Gauff broke Pegula’s serve in her to final service games to close out the victory.
Gauff, 21, had an easier route to the final than the 31-year-old Pegula, with competitors playing in brutal heat and humidity throughout the week. Gauff had lost only 16 games in Shanghai before the final. Pegula played four three-set matches, including her defeat of world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, and Gauff wanted to close it out in two sets.
“You’re the three-set queen, so I was determined not to let you get there today because I felt like the odds would be in your favor in the third set,” Gauff told her during the ceremony.
Gauff claimed her 11th career victory, and she has won all nine of her finals on hard courts. She is the first woman to win nine consecutive WTA hard-court finals since Serena Williams did it from 2013-15.
Gauff also was a semifinalist last week in Beijing, and she said she was happy the convinced her coach that she should compete on the Asian swing.
“He originally didn’t want me to come because I had a tough U.S. Open but I had to prove him wrong. I’m a very stubborn person so maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here,” she said.
And she had kind words for Pegula. During the trophy presentation, Gauff made sure to let Pegula know how much she respects her.
“When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms,” Gauff said. “That really went a long way, so I appreciate you. It’s great to finally play in the final against you, and I hope for many more. So, congratulations and thank you.”
–Field Level Media
