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Coco Gauff won the last WTA 1000 title of the season to close out her regular season on a high, beating Jessica Pegula in the final of the Wuhan Open on Sunday. The American youngster won 6-4, 7-5 to lift her first title since the French Open win earlier this year.
Gauff has had a decent Asian swing after a heartbreaking US Open finish, reaching the semifinals of the China Open before Wuhan (loss to Amanda Anisimova). At Wuhan, she beat the likes of Laura Siegemund and Jasmine Paolini before taking care of an exhausted Pegula in the final.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony afterwards, Coco Gauff was all love for her compatriot Pegula, who was also her former doubles partner for the longest time. The World No. 3 thanked Pegula for being 'nice' to her when she started on the tour, and assured her that they will meet many more times in the finals of tournaments in the future.
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“When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms. That really went a long way, so I appreciate you. It’s great to finally play in the final against you, and I hope for many more. So, congratulations and thank you,” Gauff said.
Gauff continues to trail Pegula in the head-to-head now, currently 3-4 after the result at the Wuhan Open. Pegula, at one point, was leading it 4-1.
What next for Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula after Wuhan Open?
After the Wuhan Open, there are no major tournaments on the WTA calendar until the WTA Finals, which will pit the eight best women on the tour against each other in a round-robin format. This year, the tournament is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
Both Pegula and Gauff have already qualified for the year-end tournament. The other players who have already booked their spot at the event are: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys.
The remaining two spots up for grabs are likely to go to Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini, with Elena Rybakina and Ekaterina Alexandrova also in the running as things stand now.
