Coco Gauff dominates Karolina Muchova to win her first title since January, extending her tally to eight WTA titles

Coco Gauff the 20-year-old American tennis sensation, added another trophy to her growing collection, defeating unseeded Czech player Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 in the China Open final. Gauff, currently ranked sixth in the world, claimed her eighth WTA title in just 1 hour and 17 minutes, marking her first win since January this year.

Despite facing challenges earlier in the tournament, particularly with her serve, Gauff displayed commanding form in the final, quashing any doubts about her recent struggles. Her path to victory had been hard-fought, with the young star needing to overcome deficits in her three previous matches, but she showed remarkable composure against Muchova.

Gauff’s dominance was evident from the first set, where she secured two breaks of serve in just 30 minutes. Muchova, world number 49 and formerly ranked eighth, had earlier upset top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen but couldn’t replicate that magic against the athletic and powerful Gauff.

Although Muchova showed signs of resistance in the second set, briefly taking a 2-0 lead after breaking Gauff’s serve, it wasn’t enough. Gauff responded with a break of her own, eventually rattling off four consecutive games to wrest control back. The match concluded when Muchova’s backhand sailed long, her 24th unforced error—a stark contrast to Gauff’s 24 winners.

In her post-match speech, Gauff was gracious towards her opponent, congratulating Muchova on her performance. She also credited her new coach, Matt Daly, for her recent success. Daly, who joined Gauff’s team after her parting ways with Brad Gilbert following a disappointing US Open campaign, has clearly made an impact, with this title marking the first win under his guidance.

With this victory in the prestigious WTA 1,000 event, Gauff now moves up to fourth place in the Race to the Finals, making her a strong contender for the season-ending tournament in Riyadh. She continues her season next at the Wuhan Open, beginning on Monday.