by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
October 10, 2024
The 20-year-old swept Karolina Muchova in straight sets to emerge victorious.
Several newsworthy things happened for tennis phenom Coco Gauff. On Sept. 6, she swept Karolina Muchova in straight sets to emerge victorious in the China Open. In doing so, she became the first American to win the tournament in over a decade and the first woman to win her first seven hard-court finals in the Open era.
thank you, everyone, for all of the love and support these two weeks here in Beijing❤️. Very grateful for it all! See you next year! pic.twitter.com/uZbGj4pVtr
— Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) October 6, 2024
According to CNN, after winning the China Open, she is the first American to take the cup since Serena Williams in 2013. The historic win also brings eight WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) titles for Gauff.
“I want to say congratulations to you, Karolina. It’s great to see you back on tour. I think you’re such an amazing player, and you deserve everything,” Gauff said after winning the match.
Gauff won the tournament less than a month after parting ways with her coach, Brad Gilbert.
She mentions to WTA Tennis that she still has a way to go and is just getting started.
“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 said. “Most of the people doing well are 25 and older in the Top 10, maybe with the exception of Iga. 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 was recently recognized for her generosity when she helped her opponent, Naomi Osaka, off the court after she forfeited the match due to an injury.
The No. 4 ranked tennis player’s next tournament is the Wuhan Open, which she will play on Oct. 10.
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