Coco Gauff gives reaction to ‘weird’ and ‘tough’ Wuhan Open semi-final victory over Jasmine Paolini
Coco Gauff has labelled her victory at the Wuhan Open against Jasmine Paolini as ‘tough’ and ‘weird.’
The French Open champion defeated the Italian 6-4, 6-3 to snap a three-match losing streak against Paolini.
Gauff, at 21 years old, is now the youngest singles player to reach the final in both Wuhan and Beijing.
The match contained 12 breaks of serve, with 11 of them taking place consecutively, despite both players having 70%+ first serve percentages.
Gauff hit seven double faults overall, but managed to hold serve once again in the final game of the match to seal the victory.
“Yeah, I think it was a weird match,” remarked the American.
“I felt like I played really well off the ground, especially in the second set, and I served well too.
“I was able to find it in those last two games, focusing on trying to put her on defence, and I thought I returned well.
“Yeah, I don’t know—it was kind of in my favour and also not. On the serve, it was really hard to get free points because it was so slow. But it was the same for both of us.
“At the start of the second set, we basically broke each other back and forth a lot. It still felt as slow as it does at night, but obviously, like you said, a little bit cooler.
“It was tough to put pressure on serve, but I think overall it worked in my favour today.”
Gauff’s Wuhan Open performance is a continuation of her Beijing form, having beaten the likes of Belinda Bencic and Leylah Fernandez, before falling to Wimbledon and US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova in the final.
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“I’d say it’s been a successful China swing,” Gauff analysed.
“A semifinal and now a final.
“Obviously, it’s not over and I have more that I want to achieve here, but I definitely think it’s been a good trip and has given me some momentum heading into the WTA Finals.”
Coming into the match, Paolini had beaten Gauff at this season’s Boss Open, Italian Open, and the Cincinnati Masters.
The Wuhan Open is Gauff’s fifth WTA 1000 final and third in 2025.
Jessica Pegula awaits in the showpiece match, with the world No 6 holding a 4-2 lead in the head-to-head.
Pegula recovered from 5-2 down in the deciding set to overcome world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka
The Belarusian had possessed a 20-0 match-winning record at the Wuhan Open prior to her last-four defeat.
“We’ve also played many times,” the world No 3 stated.
“I don’t think we’ve faced off this year, so I’d have to treat it as a fresh matchup. Jess is very dangerous, especially on hard courts.
“Either way, it’s going to be a tough, interesting final, and I’m looking forward to it. They’re both players I really respect.”
