Gauff wins all-American clash with Pegula to claim third WTA 1000 title in Wuhan | Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff reeled off four straight games to beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 and win the Wuhan Open on Sunday in an all-American final.

The 21-year-old Gauff won her second title of the year – her first was the French Open – and she now has 11 career titles.

The world No 3 found herself down 0-3 in the second set, then served to save it at 3-5 down. She held and then broke the Pegula to love for 5-5. Pegulaâ€s forehand volley at the net landed wide to give Gauff a first match point and, with Pegula on second serve, she clinched the contest with a forehand winner following a brief rally.

Pegula had staged a comeback of her own to beat world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals. But this time she lost momentum and missed out on a 10th career title as Gauff became the second American to claim the Wuhan title, after Venus Williams in 2015.

It was their seventh career meeting and first in a final. Pegula leads 4-3 overall against Gauff, with whom she has won several doubles titles. Gauff complimented her opponent after the match.

“When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms. And that really goes a long way and still goes a long way,†Gauff said during the trophy presentation. “So I appreciate you. And itâ€s great to finally play in a final against you.â€

Pegulaâ€s last eight matches have all gone the distance, and she has won seven of them.

“Youâ€ve been playing a lot of three-setters – youâ€re a three-set queen,†Gauff said. “Iâ€d like to congratulate you on an incredible tournament. I was determined not to let you get there today because I felt the odds would be in your favour in a third set.â€

Gauff improved to 11-3 in finals; Pegula dropped to 9-11. The win adds to Gauffâ€s WTA 1000 triumphs in Cincinnati (2023) and Beijing (2024) and marks her third final at this level in 2025 after runner-up finishes in Madrid and Rome.

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