Coco Gauff became the first American woman to win the China Open after Serena Williams in 2013 with a straight-sets victory over Karolina Muchova in the Beijing final.
This win also marks Gauff’s first WTA Tour title since January, after this dominant performance against Muchova, according to a Sky Sports report.
Following a disappointing campaign at the U.S. Open in the early days of September, Gauff took a three-week break from tennis but has now returned to her best level after her exploits in Beijing.
She controlled much of the final, cruising to a 6-1, 6-3 win to secure her biggest victory since her maiden Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open on home soil over a year ago.
“It’s almost like a Grand Slam; the facilities are great. This is as good as it gets,” Gauff said. The American tennis superstar has now seen immediate success with new coaches Jean-Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly, after she parted ways with Brad Gilbert following her disappointing performance at this year’s U.S. Open.
thank you everyone for all of the love and support these two weeks here in Beijing❤️. Very grateful for it all! See you next year! pic.twitter.com/uZbGj4pVtr
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 6, 2024
Gauff also expressed her gratitude to the fans who showed up on the day, and indicated them as crucial for her impressive win.
“I would like to thank the fans. Almost every match has been filled to the brim, so thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis,” she added.
Gauff started strong in the final, and struck with more power and precision than Muchova to eventually go all the way.
The American won three consecutive games and made sure her serves were exceptional, winning 94% of points on her first serve, as she wrapped up the first set in just 30 minutes.
Muchova then briefly dominated in the second set, breaking Gauff early to go 2-0 up, yet ]the American did well to respond even better by winning the next four games and soon led 4-3.
A comfortable hold and another break of serve sealed Gauff’s eighth career WTA Tour title, and she has now only lost one final since she turned professional at 14 back in 2018.
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Gauff is now set to compete in the Wuhan Open later this week where top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Britain’s Katie Boulter will also be featuring. However, Coco Gauff will be approaching the competition with renewed confidence to edge her opponents, knowing she is closer to her best level after this crucial victory.
