Coco Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 in an all-American final to win the Wuhan Open on Sunday. The victory secured the third WTA 1000 title of Gauff's career and was achieved without dropping a single set throughout the tournament. The 21-year-old also made history, becoming the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals.
The match began with Gauff taking a quick 3-0 lead before Pegula fought back to level the first set at 4-4. Gauff, however, secured a decisive break to close out the set. The second set saw a momentum shift as Pegula, renowned for her resilience in deciding sets, broke Gauff twice to build a 3-0 lead. Despite serving for the set at 5-4, Pegula was unable to close it out, as Gauff mounted a comeback, reeling off four consecutive games to clinch the title in one hour and 42 minutes.
The paths to the final for the two former doubles partners were starkly different. Gauff cruised through her matches, dropping only 16 games en route to the final. In contrast, Pegula battled through grueling three-set matches in all eight of her previous encounters at the tournament, a fact Gauff referenced in her victory speech.
"You're the three-set queen," Gauff said to Pegula on court, "so I was determined not to let you get there today because I felt like the odds would be in your favour in the third set." Gauff also humorously called out her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel, saying, "He originally didn't want me to come because I had a tough US Open but I had to prove him wrong." Pegula was gracious in defeat, adding, "It's an honour to play you, as a friend and fellow American in the final."
The victory marked Gauff's 11th career singles title and her second of the year, following her win at the French Open. Despite the loss, Pegula’s impressive run in Wuhan confirmed her spot at the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she will join Gauff as one of the U.S. representatives.
