Coco Gauff claimed her first WTA 1000 title of 2025 on Sunday, defeating compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 in an all-American final at the Wuhan Open. The 21-year-old world number three captured her second title of the season and 11th career singles trophy after one hour and 42 minutes on court, ending a drought that stretched back to her French Open triumph in June. Gauff completed an unblemished run through the tournament without dropping a single set, becoming the youngest Wuhan Open champion in the event's history.
Gauff seizes early control
Coco Gauff established her authority from the opening games, breaking Pegula's serve to take control of the first set. The French Open champion struck four aces and committed just two double faults in a composed opening-set performance that showcased improved serving stability compared to her semifinal struggles against Jasmine Paolini. Pegula fought to stay within range but couldn't generate the same quality on serve. The 31-year-old veteran was competing in her eighth consecutive three-setter dating back to the China Open, and the cumulative fatigue appeared evident as Gauff's fresher legs allowed her to dictate rallies. The third seed's return game proved particularly effective, putting constant pressure on Pegula's service games and forcing errors at crucial moments.
When Gauff broke serve for 5-3, she positioned herself to serve out the opening set. Despite Pegula's best efforts to extend rallies and create break point opportunities, Gauff maintained her composure to close out the set 6-4 after 52 minutes. The opening frame established the pattern that would define the match, with Gauff's superior court coverage and aggressive return positioning preventing Pegula from settling into any consistent rhythm. The French Open champion had dropped just 16 games en route to the final, fewer than any player in tournament history, and showed no signs of relinquishing that dominance.
Pegula battles back before Gauff closes
The second set delivered significantly more drama as Jessica Pegula elevated her game in a desperate bid to extend the match. The veteran American began serving with greater precision and depth, holding more comfortably through her opening service games. However, Gauff's serve suddenly faltered at the worst possible moment, as she committed unusual five consecutive double faults, handing Pegula a double break and suddenly trailing 1-3. Pegula seized the momentum to establish a 4-1 lead, putting herself in position to force a deciding set for what would have been her ninth consecutive three-setter.
However, Gauff responded with good mentality that defined for instance her French Open triumph. The world number three broke back immediately to keep her title hopes alive at 4-5, then held serve with authority to level at 5-5. Suddenly the momentum shifted entirely as Pegula's serve, which had functioned smoothly during her run to 5-3, began to crack under the pressure of Gauff's relentless returns. The younger American's aggressive court positioning forced Pegula into defensive positions, and errors crept into the veteran's game at the crucial moment.
Gauff broke serve again to lead 6-5, then stepped up to serve for the championship. Despite the pressure of closing out her first WTA 1000 title of the season, she delivered with remarkable composure. A powerful forehand winner sealed victory after one hour and 42 minutes, sending Gauff to her knees in celebration before a triumphant roar echoed through the Optics Valley International Tennis Centre. The final four games belonged entirely to Gauff, who won them without reply to complete a comeback from 0-3 down in the second set.
Gauff ends her WTA 1000 drought in 2025
The victory delivered multiple layers of significance for Gauff's season. Despite snatching one Grand Slam title this year, her history of deep runs in WTA 1000 finals was quite disappointing. It was third final this year in that range of events, following the defeats in title matches in Madrid and Rome during spring's clay swing. Gauff's recent month were not perfect both in terms of results and on-court performance. Her American hard courts swing was trademark by erratic play and serving struggles. Last week's run to semifinal in Beijing was a positive mark, although ended with severe beatdown suffered from Amanda Anisimova in semifinals. Gauff has capitalized on very formidable draw in Wuhan. Jasmine Paolini was her first top 50 ranked opponent during semifinal clash. The American survived this clash which was far from pretty from both sides and added the last victory pending to end the WTA 1000 title drought this year in last tournament of this grade in the season, defeating her mate and long-time doubles partner in final, keeping the clean sheet to claim the trophy without losing a set.
Ranking movements
The victory positioned Gauff as the top-ranked American in WTA Race, heading into November's YEC in Riyadh, while Pegula's runner-up finish secured her qualification for the year-end championships alongside fellow Americans Gauff and Amanda Anisimova. Wuhan Open was significant event in terms of race to WTA Finals. Jasmine Paolini made into semifinals, which allowed her to overtake Elena Rybakina and build a gup of 218 points ahead of the Kazakh. The other players who could have mathematical hopes to advance are no more in contention, apart from Ekaterina Alexandrova who trails 973 points to Paolini. In fact, only three players compete for two places left. 6th Madison Keys is not qualified for points tally yet, but has a guaranteed spot as a Grand Slam champion who will surely not fall down from top 20. 7th Mirra Andreeva is 407 points ahead of Rybakina. The Russian displays quite a poor run of form in recent weeks, struggling the most out of all three contenders. The next week's WTA 500 tournament in Ningo which features all the players fighting for place in the finals, will surely give some more answers in that topic.