Coco Gauff won her first WTA Tour title since January with a straight-sets victory in the China Open final against Karolina Muchova.
Gauff took three weeks off from tennis after she surprisingly lost in the fourth round of the US Open at the start of September but has played some of her best tennis in Beijing over the last week.
She had the upper hand over Muchova for most of the final to race to a 6-1 6-3 win and secure her biggest triumph since that memorable maiden Grand Slam title in New York over a year ago.
“It’s almost like a Grand Slam as the facilities are great. This is as good as it gets,” said Gauff, who has made the perfect start to life with new coaches Jean-Christophe Faurel and Matt Daly after she parted ways with Brad Gilbert following this year’s US Open.
“I would like to thank the fans. Almost every match has been filled to the brim, so thank you guys for supporting women’s tennis.”
Watched on by her parents, Gauff was hitting the ball more harder and more accurately from the get-go than her opponent as she took a 2-0 and 3-1 lead.
The American won three consecutive games and continued to serve well, winning 94 per cent of points on her first serve, to wrap up the first set in half an hour.
Muchova surprisingly broke Gauff early in the second set to go 2-0 ahead, but lost the next four games and soon trailed 4-3.
Another comfortable hold and a break of serve from Gauff gave her an eighth career WTA Tour title, having only lost one final since turning professional as a 14-year-old in 2018.
Gauff will turn her attention to the Wuhan Open, where she will be in action mid-week. Britain’s Katie Boulter and top seed Aryna Sabalenka will also be competing in the WTA 1000 tournament.
