Coco Gauff overcame “three-set queen” Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to clinch the third WTA 1000 title of her career in an all-American final at the Wuhan Open.
The third-seeded Gauff secured the trophy without dropping a set after a one hour 42 minute battle in the central Chinese city.
In the first final between the former doubles partners, Gauff erased multiple deficits in the second set to improve her head-to-head record against Pegula to 3-4.
The 21-year-old in the process became the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals.
Gauff also cemented her status as the player with the highest winning percentage at WTA Tour-level events in China in the Open Era (22-3, 88 per cent - minimum 10 matches).
“It was a great Asian swing,” said Gauff, who reached the semi-finals in Beijing last week, before winning the title in Wuhan.
“I’m going to call JC [Jean-Christophe Faurel, my coach] out. He originally didn’t want me to come because I had a tough US Open but I had to prove him wrong. I’m a very stubborn person so maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here.”
The pair had contrasting routes to the final with Gauff breezing dropping a mere 16 games while Pegula battled through three-setters in all eight of her previous matches.
“You’re the three-set queen, so I was determined not to let you get there today because I felt like the odds would be in your favour in the third set,” Gauff said as she congratulated Pegula during her victory speech.
“When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms and that really goes a long way and still goes a long way, so I appreciate you.
“It’s great to finally play in a final against you and I hope for many more. It’s an honour to share the court with you.”
Gauff won the first six points of the match and it set the tone for what was to come, as she leapt to a 3-0 advantage.
Pegula recovered from her slow start and went on the attack in game seven, breaking with a fierce backhand winner that helped her get back on level terms at 4-4.
It looked like the sixth seed had swung the momentum her way but Gauff found a tiny opening two games later and broke to secure the opening set in 47 minutes.
Pegula had come back from 2-5 down in her deciding set against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka the day before and was more than ready for another fightback.
Gauff has been reworking her serve with biomechanics specialist Gavin MacMillan since the end of August.
And while her numbers have improved since she added him to her team, the shot remains susceptible to ebbs and flows during stressful situations.
The world No 3 double-faulted six times, allowing Pegula to break her twice for a 3-0 lead, then steadied the ship by getting both breaks back to draw level.
There was another exchange of breaks, Pegula inching ahead with a cunning drop shot and Gauff pegging her back thanks to winning 10 consecutive points.
Shortly after, Gauff raised her arms in celebration as a Pegula volley sailed wide on match point.
“It’s an honour to play you, as a friend and fellow American in the final, it’s our first final, so that was a lot of fun being able to play,” Pegula told Gauff during the trophy ceremony.
The 31-year-old also gave a shoutout to her fitness trainer John Opfer, who helped her withstand such a gruelling Asian swing that included a semi-final run in Beijing and a runner-up showing in Wuhan.
“I don’t think I’ve played this much hours on the court in such a short amount of time and actually felt good,” added Pegula.
Both Pegula and Gauff will now shift their focus to next month’s WTA Finals, where Americans represent half of the eight-player singles field.
