WUHAN, China – Coco Gauff overcame seven double faults to defeat Jasmine Paolini and will face compatriot Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final. Pegula, 31, ended the winning streak of Aryna Sabalenka, the world number one, in the tournament. Gauff defeated Paolini with a score of 6-4 and 6-3 on Saturday, after winning the battle of converted breaks by 7-5, in a match where both top 10 players had difficulties with their serves. Pegula achieved an agonizing 2-6, 6-4, and 7-6 (2) victory to secure the all-American final and break Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak in Wuhan. Pegula has a 4-2 lead over Gauff in their head-to-head matchups, although this will be the first time they face each other in a final. Gauff, currently ranked number 3, overcame three breaks in the second set, including a series of five consecutive double faults, and won the last four games to advance to the final.
Gauff, 21 years old, who changed her serve coach in August, leads the women’s circuit this season with 378 double faults, more than 120 more than the next player. However, she also stood out in another statistic: her 13 career wins over top 10 players in WTA 1000 events are the most for any player before turning 22 since 2009, according to the circuit. Paolini, who is ranked number 5, had eliminated Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and had won her previous three matches against Gauff, all played this season. Pegula, ranked sixth, was down 5-2 in the final set before winning four games in a row. Sabalenka then saved two match points in the following game to force a tiebreak. Sabalenka won the Wuhan Open in 2018 and 2019, and again in 2024, after the event returned to the circuit.I did what I needed to get through.
Coco Gauff
