by Miguel Mike Medina
(Photo by Fred Lee/Getty Images)
US tennis star Coco Gauff makes history. She becomes the 1st American woman to win Beijing since 2013. And who that person was? Serena Williams.
She won China Open final on Sunday, sweeping past Karolina Muchová 6-1 6-3.
It is a big deal and accomplishment to be mentioned in the same sentence as Williams, who had title runs in Beijing in 2004 and 2013.
Gauff is only 20 and became the youngest China Open champion in 14 years.
Coco was outstanding in her match. The forehand of Gauff came to life throughout the tournament. Muchova didn’t attack in certain situations when she needed to.
Both ladies played great. Muchova is one heck of a player and shows tremendous sportsmanship. She’s going to win some titles in the future. But today, Gauff holds the throne.
Gauff also made WTA history in the process, becoming the first woman to win her first seven hard-court finals in the Open era.
The victory marks her eighth career title. She improved her record in tour finals to 8-1 and now has a 7-0 record in hard-court finals.
She has had a rough couple of months. This is a big bounce-back victory for her. Many doubted and questioned her decision to depart from Brad Gilbert and add Matt Daly to her coaching team.
There were concerns about whether this plan would work out for her. Many people doubted Gauff’s ability to win big tournaments outside the US.
Well, the results speak for themselves. Gauff proved the naysayers wrong. Her win in Beijing improved her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals, which will feature the eight top players for the third consecutive year.
Gauff will play the Wuhan Open next as she continues to rise up the rankings.
Gauff, who entered ranked No. 6, will now move to the No. 5 spot ahead of the final WTA 1000 tournament of the season.
She has the best career-winning percentage in finals of any woman in the current Top 10.
