Gauff rallies to capture Wuhan crown in all-American final

Third seed Coco Gauff captured her first Wuhan Open title on Sunday, defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 in the final to claim her third WTA 1000 crown.

Coco Gauff poses with the trophy during the awarding ceremony after the women's singles final between Jessica Pegula of the United States and Coco Gauff of the United States at the 2025 Wuhan Open tennis tournament in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Oct. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Gauff made a fast start, winning the first three games of the match. Pegula, seeded sixth, held serve in the fourth game, but Gauff extended her advantage to 4-1. Pegula then found her rhythm, winning three straight games to level at 4-4. The 21-year-old Gauff held serve in a tense ninth game before breaking Pegula in the next to seal the opening set 6-4.

Pegula opened the second set strongly, racing to a 3-0 lead. Gauff responded with a flurry of aggressive returns and sharp net play, winning three games in succession to draw level. The pair exchanged breaks over the next four games to reach 5-5, before Gauff broke once more to close out the match 7-5.

At the award ceremony, Gauff paid tribute to Pegula, who had battled through four three-set matches to reach the final. The 21-year-old joked that the outcome might have been different if the match had gone the distance. "It's great to finally play in the final against you, and I hope for many more," Gauff noted.

Gauff also thanked her Chinese supporters. "I want to give a huge, huge, huge thank you to all my Chinese fans and everyone supporting me here and also in Beijing. You've gone beyond my expectations. I literally had to bring an extra suitcase home because of all the gifts I received. Why I have good results here? Because of the good energy."

Gauff did not drop a set throughout the tournament, winning all five matches in straight sets. The Wuhan victory marked her third WTA 1000 title, following triumphs at the 2023 Cincinnati Open and the 2024 China Open in Beijing.

In the women's doubles final, Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova lifted the title with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic.