Coco Gauff spins her way to Wuhan glory in all-American final

Coco Gauff closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let the final forehand fly. When it landed cleanly inside the line, she raised her arms and broke into a grin that mixed exhaustion with disbelief.

In a battle of American power and precision, the 21-year-old outmaneuvered Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to capture the Wuhan Open title — her third WTA 1000 trophy and 11th career singles crown.

It was the first time the two had faced each other in a tour-level final, and it unfolded like a mirror of their contrasting tennis philosophies. Pegula’s textbook baseline rhythm against Gauff’s elastic defense.

Over two sets and nearly two hours, Gauff refused to let the match stretch into a decider as she pulled off a late surge that left Pegula shaking her head in disbelief.

“You’re the three-set queen,” Gauff said to Pegula during the ceremony. “So, I was determined not to let you get there today, because it felt like the odds would be in your favor in the third set.”

From the opening game, the World No. 3 set the tone with a mixture of looping forehands, sliced backhands, and disguised changes of pace that kept Pegula guessing. She raced ahead 4-1 before the No. 6 seed clawed her way back when she punished a run of Gauff double faults to level the set at 4-4.

But just as Pegula seemed to have settled, her timing faltered. Punctuated by a searing cross-court backhand that left Pegula flat-footed, a string of unforced errors at 4-5 handed Gauff the opener.

Pegula, who had survived a gauntlet of three-setters to reach the final, wasn’t about to fold. She stormed into the second set and broke twice to open a 3-0 lead as Gauff’s serve momentarily deserted her.

But even from that deficit, Gauff never lost her composure. She began varying the spin and height of her shots and forced Pegula to generate her own power on a court that had slowed under the cool evening.

The shift in rhythm rattled Pegula. By 3-3, her trademark consistency was cracking. But she responded with another surge and broke back and hold for 5-3. She was just two games from forcing a decider.

And that’s when Gauff’s resolve stiffened.

She reeled off 10 of the next 12 points to smother Pegula with deep, rolling groundstrokes and pinpoint passing shots that turned defense into art. On match point, Gauff sprinted across the court to track down another Pegula approach and fired a forehand pass that sealed the championship.

The win capped a near-flawless week for the Delray Beach native.

Gauff didn’t drop a set enroute to the title and lost just 25 games all tournament. This was the fewest by a champion since Wuhan’s inaugural edition in 2014.

The victory also made her the first woman ever to begin her career 9-0 in hard-court finals and underscored how comfortable she’s become dictating play on the surface that once tested her patience.

“When I came on tour, you [Pegula] were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms,” Gauff said. “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.”