Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula to face off in the Wuhan Open final
In an exciting match in Wuhan, China, Coco Gauff defeated Jasmine Paolini and will face her compatriot Jessica Pegula in the final of the tournament. Pegula, for her part, ended Aryna Sabalenka’s winning streak in the tournament. Gauff defeated Paolini with a score of 6-4, 6-3, despite challenges with her serve, including seven double faults. The battle of converted breaks favored Gauff, with a 7-5. Pegula achieved a dramatic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory, securing her place in the final and ending Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak in Wuhan. Pegula leads Gauff in their head-to-head matchups with a 4-2, although this will be their first final together. Gauff, ranked third, came back after being down three breaks in the second set, including a series of five consecutive double faults. She ultimately won the final four games to advance.Gauff, 21 years old, who changed her service coach in August, leads the women’s circuit this season with 378 double faults, surpassing the next player by more than 120. However, Gauff also stood out in another statistic: she is the player with the most victories over top 10 players in WTA 1000 events before turning 22 since 2009, with 13 victories. Paolini, ranked fifth, had eliminated Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and had won her three previous matches against Gauff, all played this season. Pegula, in sixth place, was down 5-2 in the final set before winning four games in a row. Sabalenka saved two match points in the next game, forcing the tiebreak. Sabalenka won the Wuhan Open in 2018 and 2019, and again in 2024 after the event’s return to the circuit.I did what I needed to move forward.
Coco Gauff
