Coco Gauff produced one of her finest performances of the season to beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to win the WTA 1000 China Open on Sunday.
I want to say congratulations to you, Karolina. It’s great to see you back on tour. You’re such an amazing player. Hopefully we play many more finals. I don’t wanna say I hope some go your way, but maybe against someone else they’ll go your way. It’s incredible to see how you’re able to manage your season after so many injuries. Hopefully you stay healthy for the rest of your career. Coco Gauff
The 20-year old American effectively overpowered Muchova throughout, storming to her win, 6-1 6-3, in just 76 minutes in Beijing.
After a disappointing few months by her own standards, including failing to defend her US Open title, surrendering her crown in the Last 16, Gauff added the China Open to her triumph in Auckland in January.
Ranked No 6 in the world, Gauff is working with a new coaching team after splitting with Brad Gilbert in September.
“I want to say congratulations to you, Karolina. It’s great to see you back on tour,” she said. “You’re such an amazing player. Hopefully we play many more finals. I don’t wanna say I hope some go your way, but maybe against someone else they’ll go your way.
“It’s incredible to see how you’re able to manage your season after so many injuries. Hopefully you stay healthy for the rest of your career.”
Muchova entered Sunday’s match confident after back-to-back Top-10 wins over US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, but she could not sustain that form against an on-fire Gauff, who struck 24 winners while holding the Czech to just 14.
The unseeded Czech’s usual precision was lacking, and she misfired on 24 unforced errors, while Gauff held her’s to a tidy 8 miscues.
Coco Gauff (R) poses with the winners trophy and Karolina Muchova after the presentation ceremony
© Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Despite the loss, Muchova leaves Beijing in dangerous form, having arrived ranked 49 and now rising back into the Top 30.
She was, in fact, the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of the China Open, but she couldn’t stop Gauff making a fast start, breaking the Czech for a 2-0 lead in the first set, and then holding her own serve without conceding a point.
The young American went up 3-0 with barely 10 minutes on the clock, and although 28-year-old Muchova sent down an ace to get herself on the board, Gauff’s delivery was firing, with no hint of the problems that this has previously suffered.
Gauff had 3 break points in the 6th game, and converted the first to streak into a 5-1 lead against a shell-shocked Muchova.
She rattled off her 3rd ace of the match to give herself 2 set points, and while her serve wobbled briefly, she wrapped up the opener in 29 minutes on her third opportunity.
Muchova found her feet at the start of the second, and broke for a 2-0 lead, only for Gauff to break back immediately on the way to a comfortable win.
“It was really tough today,” the Czech said to Gauff. “It just showed how great of an athlete you are.”
Gauff became the youngest China Open champion in 14 years, and the second American, after Serena Williams’ title runs in 2004 and 2013.
Beijing is Gauff’s second Hologic WTA Tour title of the season, and the 8th of her career.
Her title run has shored up her quest to qualify for the WTA Finals Riyadh for a 3rd consecutive year, having entered the week at No 6 on the Race to the PIF WTA Finals.
With the title, she will overtake US Open finalist Jessica Pegula to sit at No 5 heading into the final WTA 1000 of the season at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open next week.
She also has improved to 3-0 against Muchova, winning all 6 sets against the Czech
Both now head to Wuhan, where main-draw play begins on Monday, and Gauff is seeded No 4, enjoying a first-round bye.
China Open doubles champions Sara Errani & Jasmine Paolini defeated Chan Hao-Ching & Veronika Kudermetova in Sunday’s final
© Yanshan Zhang/Getty Images
Earlier on Sunday, Sara Errani & Jasmine Paolini, the No 5 seeds, became the first Italian champions at the China Open, defeating Taipei’s Chan Hao-Ching & Veronika Kudermetova from Russia, the 7th seeds, 6-4 6-4, in the doubles final.
Played in front of a near-capacity crowd, Sunday’s final was decided by the narrowest of margins.
After an early exchange of service breaks, Errani & Paolini won a pivotal deciding point to quell a surge from the 7th seeds and hold to 4-3.
The set stayed on serve until the final game, when, with Kudermetova serving on deciding point, Errani patrolled the net to slam down a pair of overheads to win the point, and the set.
Holding serve was challenging for both teams in the second, which featured just one service hold.
Errani & Paolini earned a chance to serve out the win at 5-3, but were broken to 15, and, as in the first set, the match was decided by a deciding point on Kudermetova’s serve, and the Russian promptly double-faulted.
Beijing is Errani & Paolini’s 3rd Hologic WTA Tour team title of the season, and 5th overall, having also won Linz, a WTA 1000 on home soil in Rome, and Olympic Gold in Paris.
Former doubles No1 Errani, 37, has now secured 31 Hologic WTA Tour doubles titles, while Beijing is Paolini’s 5th career doubles title.
The pair also made their first Grand Slam final this year, falling to Katerina Siniakova & Coco Gauff at Roland Garros.
Errani & Paolini entered Beijing at No 5 on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals and looking to lock down qualification for the season-ending event.
They lost just 2 sets en route to their 2nd WTA 1000 of the season, scoring wins over Cristina Bucsa & Monica Niculescu, Aldila Sutjiadi & Leylah Fernandez, Beatriz Haddad-Maia & Laura Siegemund, and Miami champions Sofia Kenin & Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
