"Any time we try to count Coco Gauff out, she shows up and wins" - Ex-WTA pro sees bright future for American No. 1 after Wuhan Open success

Coco Gauff, who suffered a defeat against Amanda Anisimova at the China Open, returned to winning ways at the 2025 Wuhan Open. The American No. 1 defeated fellow American star Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 in the final.

Gauff and Pegula will now shift their focus to the WTA finals, which will be played in Riyadh. Gauff is the defending champion in that tournament and has qualified for this year's tournament alongside Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, Anisimova, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek.

Former tennis star CoCo Vandeweghe lauded Gauff after her latest win in a WTA 1000 event in Wuhan. Despite her struggles with the serve in 2025, Gauff has won games from behind.

“It’s all about Coco’s fight," Vandeweghe said via The Tennis Gazette. "And I think any time we try to count Coco Gauff out, she shows up and wins and dominates these players that we think, ‘Oh this should be a lot closer.'"

Vandeweghe also feels that Gauff's serve is not quite there to match up against the elite players she will play in the WTA Finals. She added:

“But for Coco, we’re always going to be looking at that serve because of the changes that she’s made in it and the little nuances... Will it happen at this tournament right now coming up? I don’t think so. It needs a little bit more time. But I think putting this serve under pressure is going to be so important for next year."

The former WTA star that with Gauff, a lot will depend on the court's speed in Riyadh and how hard his competitors hit at her. It remains to be seen if Gauff improves upon her serve at the event.

Coco Gauff confident after win in Wuhan ahead of WTA Finals

Coco Gauff expressed confidence after winning the Wuhan Open before the WTA Finals, which will take place in Riyadh from 1 to 8 November 2025. She was satisfied, given how her season went in the North American hardcourt swing.

"This definitely gives me a lot more confidence going into the WTA finals, after the way the mid-part of the season went for me, especially in New York," Gauff told reporters. "It gives me a lot of confidence to try to defend that title. Obviously, winning it last year, I know how tough it is to do, so I'm just going to take it match by match and hopefully I can end up with the trophy."

The WTA Finals will be played indoors on hard courts at the King Saud University Indoor Arena. Gauff has never lost a match in the finals on a hard court. The two-time Grand Slam champion will look forward to defending her title in the eight-player field.

Edited by Krutik Jain