In an all-American final held between Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, Gauff clinched victory in a close contest by 6-4, 7-5 in the Wuhan Open final on Sunday. This was the second title of the year for the 21-year-old as she had already claimed the French Open title on clay, expanding her career titles to 11.
This was also the first time Gauff and Pegula faced each other in the WTA final following the doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Coco Gauff: Champion of Wuhan Open 2025
The world No. 3 and the American Tennis star, Coco Gauff, ended her Asian tour campaign on a high note as she defeated fellow American Jessica Pegula in the recently concluded 2025 Wuhan Open in China. In the final, Gauff beat the world No. 5 in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, lifting the second trophy and 11th singles trophy of her career.
The Optics Valley International Tennis Centre in Wuhan was the first time that Gauff and Pegula, who were friends and doubles partners, came across each other in a WTA final. Both participants had their great performances at the tournament, yet it was Gauff who demonstrated her composure in critical situations to win.
Coco Gauff began very well by breaking Pegula early into the first set and leading 3-0. Pegula tried to even the score, and Gauff returned aggressively and played the baseline consistently to close the set 6-4. Gauff also experienced difficulties with her serve in the second set, with several cases of double faults, which allowed Pegula to take the lead by 5-3. However, Gauff displayed remarkable composure, regained herself to win four consecutive games, and took the match home with a forehand.
Following the win, Coco Gauff became the first woman to win the first nine hard-court finals, which was previously held by Serena Williams. Along with this, Gauff leveled the Williams record of becoming the only American to win the Wuhan Open title since Serena’s win in 2015.
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Coco Gauff’s Post-Match Statement
Following the impressive run and win in the final, Coco Gauff took her moment and said, “Winning every match (in the tournament) in straight sets, I don’t know if I’ve done that before on a title run. I just felt like I was really proud of what I accomplished this week, regardless of the result today.”
She also thanked her team, especially her coach Jean Christophe, who originally did not want her to come since she had a very tough US Open. Gauff further added, “But I had to prove him wrong. I’m a very stubborn person. So maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here.”
On the other hand, Jessica Pegula also praised the gameplay of Gauff, who seems to be a very experienced and well-established player in such a short span of time. She said, “We’ve spent a lot of time together and, even though I’m a bit older, I always admire and respect her so much. She’s just so mature for her age.”
Bigyan Samele’s Take
As a tennis follower, I am not surprised by the way Coco Gauff played in the final of the Wuhan Open 2025. The entire tournament had been a great run for the world No. 2. Beating Jessica Pegula, and that too in a most dominating fashion, is something she would always imagine.
Despite the loss, Pegula qualified for the upcoming WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, considering her performance in the tournament. On the other hand, Gauff now goes to the WTA Finals as the highest-ranked American and one of the best competitors for the end-of-year crown.
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