Coco Gauff showcased her dominance by defeating Karolina Muchova in the China Open final with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory. This win makes her the first player to claim victory in each of their first seven WTA hard-court finals during the Open era.
The American tennis star delivered a stellar performance, hitting 24 winners to add the Beijing trophy to her title from the Auckland Classic this year. This marks her second WTA 1000 title after her triumph at the Cincinnati Open in 2023, where she also faced and defeated Muchova in the final.
Addressing her opponent, Gauff said, “Congratulations to you, Karolina. It’s great to see you back on tour. I think you’re such an amazing player, and I hope you play many more finals.” Muchova, who has faced setbacks due to a wrist injury sustained at last year’s US Open, was praised by Gauff for her resilience.
With this win, Gauff improved her head-to-head record against Muchova to 3-0 and has now won eight out of her nine WTA finals. This tournament was Gauff’s first since adding Matt Daly to her coaching team after parting ways with Brad Gilbert last month.
“I want to thank my team. This is our first tournament together as a complete team, and it’s been an amazing journey,” Gauff expressed, acknowledging Daly’s role in her success.
Despite struggling in her previous matches where she had to come back from a set down, Gauff controlled the final from the outset. She started with a love hold and broke Muchova early to establish a lead. Although there were moments of uncertainty, Gauff’s powerful forehand secured her the first set.
Muchova initially took the lead in the second set, but Gauff quickly responded, breaking back and shifting the momentum in her favor. The American capitalized on her aggressive game plan to clinch the victory after Muchova’s backhand error.
On the doubles side, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini triumphed in the women’s doubles, defeating Chan Hao-ching and Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-4, marking their third WTA Tour title of the year.
Meanwhile, at the ATP Shanghai Masters, Jannik Sinner overcame Tomás Martín Etcheverry in a three-set battle, winning 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2. Sinner will next face either Roberto Carballés Baena or Ben Shelton in the fourth round. Carlos Alcaraz also advanced to the next round with a straight-set victory over Wu Yibing, continuing his winning streak since the US Open.