Coco Gauff says China Open title win is 'reassurance' she is moving in 'right direction' as she heads to Wuhan
Published 07/10/2024 at 19:46 GMT+1
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Coco Gauff won her second title of the season as she beat Karolina Muchova in the final of the China Open. The 20-year-old spoke afterwards about heading in the "right direction" and how "a lot of times people forget that I'm still in the developmental phase of my career and nothing is going to be great". Gauff is next playing the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open.
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Coco Gauff says her China Open title win is “reassurance” that she is heading in the “right direction” after a summer that had its challenges.
Gauff beat Karolina Muchova in the final of the China Open to claim the second WTA 1000 title of her career.
It was Gauff’s first tournament win since the start of the season in Auckland and a welcome return to form under new coach Matt Daly, who has replaced Brad Gilbert.
"Everybody can do everything in practice," Gauff told WTA Insider. “This time, when the pressure is on the line, I was just trying to force myself to do things I was uncomfortable with.
"So yeah, I think the result is now reassurance that I am in the right direction."
A year ago, Gauff was soaring on the hard courts of North America as she won the Cincinnati Open and then her maiden major at the US Open.
But she could not repeat that form this summer as she lost early at the Paris Olympics, won one match across Toronto and Cincinnati, and then saw her US Open title defence end in the last 16.
She still has plenty of time ahead at the age of 20.
"A lot of times people forget that I'm still in the developmental phase of my career and nothing is going to be great," reflected Gauff.
"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 and I'm proud of myself thus far.
"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."
Gauff also admitted she was initially going to miss the China Open to focus on training with her new coaching team.
She said: "I kind of told my team I wanted to play Beijing.
“We were planning on just coming to Wuhan. I just felt like I needed to play, have fun. I enjoy Beijing."
Gauff will now head to the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open looking to build on her China Open success.
Then attentions will turn to the season-ending WTA Finals, which start on November 2.
"I think last year, I won US Open and I was like, the rest of the season, I want to do well, but whatever - just play and see what happens," Gauff said.
"And then this time it was like, well, I haven't done so well. The tournaments that I really wanted to do well in, the Slams, that was over. So it was kind of, let's just see what happens here.
"I always think that this part of the season will always just be more relaxed for me."
Gauff has never previously played at the Wuhan Open, which is back on the calendar for the first time since 2019.
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