World No. 3 Coco Gauff defeated No. 6 Jessica Pegula in straight units, 6-4, 7-5, to win the Wuhan Open on Sunday, incomes her third profession WTA-1000 title and eleventh total — all earlier than turning 22.
The dominant American didn’t lose a single set all through the occasion, conceding solely 25 video games — the fewest by any participant because the inaugural Wuhan Open in 2014.
Coco Gauff: The hard-court queen
Moreover, the victory marked her ninth profession title on exhausting courts, following her triumphs on the 2019 Linz Open, 2023 Auckland Open, 2023 Washington Open, 2023 Cincinnati Open, 2023 U.S. Open, 2024 Auckland Open, 2024 China Open and 2024 WTA Finals.
Gauff is now 9-0 in her profession in hard-court finals, with all three of her finals losses — 2022 French Open, 2025 Madrid Open and 2025 Italian Open — happening on clay courts. In accordance to WTAtennis.com, Gauff is the primary participant within the Open Period to keep up an ideal report by way of the primary 9 hard-court finals of her profession. OptaAce famous that the final participant to go 9-0 on the floor was the retired Serena Williams.
Can Coco Gauff end the 12 months World No. 1?
Gauff, with 7,873 factors within the Live WTA Rankings, is now simply 895 shy of surpassing No. 2 Iga Swiatek, after beginning the Wuhan Open 1,290 factors behind her Polish rival. Whereas she has first rate odds of ending the 12 months as World No. 2, it is mathematically unattainable for her to leapfrog No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka earlier than the tip of 2025.
That is as a result of the season will finish on the 2025 WTA Finals, the place as much as 1,500 factors are at stake. A win for Gauff, the defending champ in Riyadh, would nonetheless depart her greater than 1,000 factors behind the world No. 1 Belarusian on the season’s shut.
Nevertheless, Gauff is now assured to complete the 12 months because the No. 1-ranked American participant for a 3rd consecutive season. Getting into the Wuhan Open, she confronted stiff competitors from No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, who defeated her within the semifinal at Beijing in September. Anisimova’s determination to withdraw from this week’s Ningbo Open put an finish to her pursuit.
