Coco Gauff captured the second WTA 1000 title of her career on Sunday in Beijing. The 20-year-old American won 6-1, 6-3 over Karolina Muchova in the final of the China Open. This is her first triumph since the ASB Classic in Auckland in the season’s first week. Gauff only needed an hour and 16 minutes to claim her second title of the year. Also, her effort in Beijing marked the first event that Gauff contested with new coach Matt Daly.
Gauff Just Struggled a Lot Before the China Open
Coco Gauff had a good start during her campaign in the China Open. The super-talented player of the United States bested Clara Burel and Katie Boulter in the first two rounds without any major issues. After getting a set down, She got lucky with Naomi Osaka’s retirement. Then, she also had a poor start against Yuliia Starodubtseva and Paula Badosa.
But the world No. 4 did all of that and found herself in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament against Karolina Muchova. The Czech player had her own great journey, beating the top seed Aryna Sabalenka and also eliminating the home favorite Zheng Qinwen. Gauff started playing incredibly well, especially on her serve, and she managed to put pressure on Muchova as well.
Gauff struggled a lot in the weeks leading up to the US Open. She failed to defend her title at the Citi Open, as she competed at the Paris Olympics. She couldn’t defend her Cincinnati Open title and the US Open either. After losing in the fourth round to Emma Navarro, last year’s US Open champion knew it was time to start fresh. Gauff had decided to split with coach Brad Gilbert after the US Open and start working with new coach Matt Daly.
Talking About Luck from Visiting Forbidden City
Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff spent time together at the Forbidden Palace ahead of the tournament. Alcaraz went on to win the men’s singles in Beijing, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in an epic final last week. At that stage, Gauff only came into the round of 16. She was concerned that she would tempt fate by suggesting her trip to the Forbidden City would bring her luck, as it had done for Alcaraz. “I guess the Imperial Palace brought us luck,” she said on court after the final.
Next Stop, Wuhan Open
Gauff would possibly make a semifinal collision course with the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. The American is leading their head-to-head 4-3. Most recently, Sabalenka took down Gauff in the Australian Open semifinals en route to the title. It was revenge after Gauff’s victory in the 2023 US Open final clash.
Both of them get a bye in the first round. In the second round, Sabalenka awaits the winner of Katerina Siniakova and wildcard Alexandra Eala. Gauff will debut against either Ashlyn Krueger or Viktoriya Tomova in the second round. The tournament will start on Monday.
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