Coco Gauff extended her remarkable record on hard courts by becoming the first player ever to win her first nine finals on the surface, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula in straight sets to capture the Wuhan Open title.
The 21-year-old world No. 3 triumphed 6-4, 7-5 to earn her 11th career singles trophy.
“I want to thank my team — it’s been a great Asian swing,” Gauff said during her victory speech. “I’ll call out my coach, JC [Jean-Christophe Faurel]; he actually didn’t want me to come after a tough US Open, but I had to prove him wrong. I’m pretty stubborn, so maybe he said that to motivate me.”
The reigning French Open champion, competing in Wuhan for only the second time, rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the second set, winning four consecutive games to seal the victory. Pegula had a chance to push the match to a decider at 5-4 but was broken decisively by a relentless Gauff.
“You’re the three-set queen,” Gauff joked to Pegula on court. “I was determined not to let it get to a third because I knew the odds would be in your favor.”
Pegula, who had gone to three sets in all eight of her previous matches at the tournament, returned the praise afterward: “It’s always an honor to play you, Coco not just as a competitor but as a friend. It was a lot of fun sharing our first final together.”
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