Despite talk of a form slump, Coco Gauff's victory at the China Open was a reminder that, according to pretty much every metric, she’s thriving.
The young American outplayed resurgent Karolina Muchova, losing just four games in the Beijing final to claim her second WTA 1000 title – her biggest tournament victory since last year’s US Open.
Notably, she became the first woman in Open-era history to win her first seven hard-court finals.
“I feel like every tournament, it's a new stat or new record. I'm very thankful,” Gauff said.
“I would be excited to see when the next stat is, the next girl, I don't know who, will be the first person to do this since Coco Gauff. I'm excited to see that, honestly.
"It means a lot when I saw that the last American woman to win [Beijing] was Serena Williams. Anytime my name is mentioned in whatever sentence hers is, it's a huge honour."
Williams, the Beijing champion in 2004 and 2013, wasn’t the only WTA great Gauff emulated with her victory in the Chinese capital, one propelling her back to world No.4.
She was the youngest China Open finalist since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010, and the second-youngest player to win her first two WTA 1000 finals, after 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu did so in 2019.
It marked an impressive return to form, given her previous competitive outing – a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro at the US Open – raised questions about her trajectory.
That loss was mired by 19 double faults, and commentary mounted that she might benefit from an extended break to correct technical flaws in her game.
She then parted ways with coach Brad Gilbert, ending a 14-month partnership which peaked with her triumphs at the Cincinnati 1000 tournament and US Open, both in 2023.
The China Open marked Gauff’s first tournament campaign with new coach Matt Daly – and the impact was immediate.
She was exceptional in the final, striking 24 winners past Muchova and committing just eight unforced errors in one of her cleanest performances of the season.
The win took her head-to-head record against Muchova – the talented Czech who upset top-10 stars Aryna Sabalenka and Zheng Qinwen in prior rounds – to a perfect 3-0.
"Today I just felt on, even from the first game. I had that feeling that I felt last year, too. Sometimes you just wake up and you're like: 'Today is my day’,” Gauff revealed.
Speaking with WTA Insider, she added: "Everybody can do everything in practice. This time, when the pressure is on the line, I was just trying to force myself to do things I was uncomfortable with. I think the result is now reassurance that I am in the right direction."
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"A lot of times people forget that I'm still in the developmental phase of my career… Most of the people doing well are 25 and older in the Top 10, maybe with the exception of Iga [Swiatek].
“We have a long way to go and I still have a lot that I need to work on… I didn't have a complete game at 15 and I don't have one right now, but I've been on tour playing every week almost, trying to be better.
“I'm just super proud of that."
People also seem to forget just how impressive Gauff’s numbers stack up in 2024.
She is one of just two players, along with Jasmine Paolini, to reach the second week at all four majors this season. Prior to her fourth-round losses to Navarro at Wimbledon and the US Open, she reached back-to-back semifinals at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. Her tally of 16 match wins at 2024 Grand Slam events is her highest of any season on tour.
There were also semifinals at Indian Wells and Rome prior to her China Open victory, helping her achieve 21 match victories at WTA 1000 tournaments this year – also her highest tally at this level compared with prior seasons. Only Swiatek and Wozniacki have won more matches at 1000 level in one year before turning 21.
Gauff, just 13 points behind third-placed Elena Rybakina in the Race to the WTA Finals, now boasts an exceptional 8-1 record in tour-level finals.
Her only loss was the 2022 Roland Garros final to Swiatek; she has since won six consecutive tournament finals.
“Honestly, when you get that far, you're just happy to be in the final. I think it's just [about] being relaxed,” Gauff said.
“My first final, [in Linz 2019] which is when I was 15, is kind of like the worst because you're like, ‘I'm never going to get this opportunity again’, which is completely not true. That is how I felt in my first Grand Slam final, as well.
“I think the experience of winning in the past, I realise that, yes, winning is great. It feels great right now. But tomorrow I'm going to wake up and it's a different day.
“Seventy per cent of the world doesn't know anything about whether I won or lost.”
Gauff will look to continue her winning ways at this week’s WTA 1000 event in Wuhan.