Coco Gauff, currently ranked sixth in the world, delivered a remarkable performance in the China Open final, defeating unseeded Czech opponent Karolina Muchova with a score of 6-1, 6-3. This victory on Sunday marks a historic achievement for Gauff, making her the first player in the Open Era to win each of her first seven WTA hardcourt finals.
Throughout the match, Gauff showcased her skill by hitting 24 winners and successfully adding the Beijing trophy to her previous victory at the Auckland Classic earlier this year. This win also represents her second WTA 1000 title, following her success in Cincinnati in 2023, where she also faced Muchova in the finals.
With this latest win, Gauff improved her head-to-head record against Muchova to 3-0 and has an impressive overall record of eight wins in her nine WTA finals. Gauff extended her congratulations to Muchova during the post-match interview, acknowledging her return to competitive play after a wrist injury sustained at the 2023 U.S. Open.
“This is our first tournament together as a full, complete team,” Gauff expressed, referencing her new coaching addition, Matt Daly. “Thank you, Matt, for your support this week.”
Going into the final, Gauff was eager to break a trend of losing the first set in her previous matches. She started strong, serving without dropping a point in her opening games and quickly establishing a 2-0 lead. After maintaining her momentum, she closed out the first set confidently.
Although Muchova took an early lead in the second set, Gauff quickly regained the initiative by breaking back and subsequently built a solid 4-2 lead. Ultimately, she secured the match by breaking serve, with Muchova’s backhand going long on match point.
In the women’s doubles final earlier that day, the Paris Olympics gold medalists Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini claimed victory over Chan Hao-Ching and Veronika Kudermetova with a score of 6-4, 6-4, marking their third WTA Tour title of the year.