WUHAN, China — Coco Gauff fought through seven double faults to triumph over Jasmine Paolini, setting the stage for an exciting showdown against fellow American Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final. Pegula halted the impressive winning streak of top seed Aryna Sabalenka at this prestigious tournament.
In a tense match on Saturday, Gauff secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Paolini, converting breaks at a rate of seven to five as both top-10 athletes grappled with their serves.
The third-ranked Gauff staged a remarkable comeback from three breaks in the second set, even amidst a frustrating stretch of five consecutive double faults, before clinching the last four games to book her place in the final.
“I did what I had to do to make it through,” Gauff remarked.
At just 21, Gauff, who switched serving coaches in August, leads the women’s tour with 378 double faults this season—over 120 more than any other player.
However, she also shines in another area: her 13 career victories against top-10 opponents at WTA 1000 events are the highest recorded by any player before turning 22 since 2009, as noted by the circuit.
Fifth-ranked Paolini made headlines by eliminating Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals and had previously defeated Gauff in all three of their earlier encounters this season.
Sabalenka’s reign in Wuhan comes to an end
Pegula battled her way to a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) win, not only securing a spot in the all-American final but also ending Sabalenka’s impressive 20-match winning streak in Wuhan.
The sixth-ranked Pegula found herself trailing 2-5 in the final set before rallying to win four consecutive games. Sabalenka fought back, saving two match points to push the match into a tiebreaker.
Having won the Wuhan Open in both 2018 and 2019, as well as again in 2024 after the event returned to the circuit, Sabalenka had a notable legacy here.
Pegula currently holds a 4-2 advantage in their head-to-head meetings.
