By Boluwatife Kehinde
In a commanding display to close out tennis’ Asian swing, world No. 3 Coco Gauff secured the 2025 Wuhan Open championship by defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday in Wuhan, China.
Gauff, the top-ranked U.S. player, claimed her second title of the year and the 11th singles trophy of her career, marking her first win since Roland-Garros in June.
With this victory, she enters the upcoming WTA Finals in November as the leading American and a formidable contender on hard courts.
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“I’d like to thank my team; it was a great Asian swing,” Gauff said during her victory speech. She gave a special shoutout to her coach Jean-Christophe Faurel, who initially doubted her decision to compete after a tough US Open. “I’m very stubborn, so maybe he said that on purpose to motivate me.”
The final marked the first WTA final meeting between Gauff and Pegula, who have also partnered in doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite Pegula’s third runner-up finish of the season, her strong performance in Wuhan confirmed her place at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, alongside Gauff and Amanda Anisimova, representing the U.S.
The match began with Gauff quickly establishing dominance, breaking Pegula’s serve early to take a 3-0 lead. Although Pegula fought back, a critical service breakdown allowed Gauff to close out the first set 6-4.
The second set saw Pegula seize an early advantage as Gauff struggled with five double faults, but the American star’s relentless return game helped her recover with a decisive double break.
Gauff finished the match with superior serving stats, boasting a 74% first serve percentage and outperforming Pegula in points won on both first and second serves.
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Demonstrating resilience, Gauff won the final four games to seal the victory with a forehand winner and celebrate triumphantly at the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre.
With this win, Gauff not only wraps up the Asian hard-court swing on a high note but also solidifies her status as one of the leading contenders heading into the season-ending championships.
