Coco Gauff celebrated her “stubborn” decision to compete in China following a challenging US Open as she defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday, claiming her third WTA 1000 title at the Wuhan Open.
The 21-year-old Gauff achieved the title without dropping a set, completing the match in 1 hour and 42 minutes in central China. She became the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals.
Reflecting on her decision to play, Gauff remarked, “It was a great Asian swing. I had to prove my coach Jean-Christophe Faurel wrong. I’m a very stubborn person, so maybe he said that on purpose to motivate me.”
In the first final between the two former doubles partners, Gauff displayed resilience by coming from behind multiple times in the second set. While Gauff breezed through her matches, Pegula had to navigate three-setters in all eight of her previous encounters in China.
