WUHAN, China — Coco Gauff won a four-game winning streak to win the Wuhan Open in the U.S. final Sunday, defeating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5.
Gauff, 21, won her second clay-court French Open title this year and now has 11 career titles.
“I won every match (in the tournament) in straight sets, and I don’t know if I’ve ever done that to win a title before,” Gauff said. “Regardless of today’s outcome, I felt really proud of what I accomplished this week.”
In the third set, Gauff served to save the second set, trailing 5-3. She held on to break Pegula in sixth place and win 5-5.
Pegula’s forehand volley at the net missed wide, giving Gauff her first match point, and after a short rally on her second serve, Pegula hit a forehand winner to seal the match.
Pegula, 31, was motivated to defeat top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. But this time she lost momentum and missed out on her 10th career title as Gauff became the second American to win the Wuhan title after Venus Williams in 2015.
It was the seventh match of their careers, and the first time they had reached the finals. Pegula holds a 4-3 lead over Gauff, with whom she has won multiple WTA doubles titles.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together, and even though I’m a little older, I’ve always admired and admired her a lot,” Pegula said of Gauff. “She is very mature for her age.”
Gauff improved her record to 11 wins and 3 losses in the final. Pegula fell to 9-11.