Tennis: Coco Gauff beats Karolina Muchova in straight sets to win China Open

BEIJING: World number six Coco Gauff dominated unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova to win the China Open final 6-1 6-3 on Sunday and become the first player to win each of their first seven WTA hardcourt finals in the Open Era.

Gauff fired off 24 winners in a strong performance to add the Beijing trophy to her win in the Auckland Classic this year and win the second WTA 1000 title of her career after her 2023 victory in Cincinnati, where she also beat Muchova in the final.

Gauff, who improved her head-to-head record against Muchova to 3-0, has won eight of her nine WTA finals.

"I want to say congratulations to you, Karolina, it's great to see you back on tour," Gauff said of her opponent Muchova, who spent an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a wrist injury at the 2023 U.S. Open.

"I think you're such an amazing player, and you deserve everything, and hopefully you play many more finals."

The tournament was Gauff's first after adding Matt Daly to her coaching team, following her split with Brad Gilbert last month.

"I would like to thank my team. It's our first tournament together as a full, complete team," Gauff said.

"Thank you Matt, this is our first tournament together, and obviously, it's going well, so thank you for helping me throughout this week."

Also Read: China Open: Coco Gauff fights back to reach final against Muchova

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