Coco Gauff is closing out the year with a bang. After a shaky start to the 2025 WTA season, the American tennis player won her second singles title of the year, all thanks to the courage to contradict her coach.
Gauff, ranked number three in the world, struggled at the start of the season, losing in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and racking up back-to-back second-round losses in Qatar and Dubai.
In a flash of brilliance, the American player won the French Open, but then lost in the second round in Berlin and the first round at Wimbledon. Looking to correct the problems with her serve, Gauff hired biomechanics expert Gavin MacMillan.
After losing in the fourth round at the US Open, the change finally paid off for Gauff, who today won the Wuhan Open, defying orders from her coach, Jean-Christophe Faurel.
The defiant Coco Gauff
Gauff reached the final in Wuhan without dropping a set and defeated compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-5, 7-5 in the final. The victory earned her a not inconsiderable sum of $596,000.
Speaking at the presentation, Gauff revealed that Faurel didn’t want her to go on her Asian swing so she could continue working with MacMillan on her service issues.
“It was a great Asian swing,” Gauff said after winning Wuhan and reaching the semifinals in Beijing. “I’m going to call JC [Faurel] out. He originally didn’t want me to come because I had a tough US Open, but I had to prove him wrong.”
However, Coco admitted that it could all have been a ruse on Faurel’s part. “I’m a very stubborn person, so maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here,” Gauff jokingly admitted.
What’s next for Coco
Beyond the prize money, the victory in Wuhan cemented Gauff’s position as the third in the WTA rankings, guaranteeing her a spot in the WTA Finals.
Gauff qualified alongside Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova.
With her stubborn nature and if she can consolidate her serve with the help of MacMillan, Gauff will be a force to be reckoned with at the WTA’s year-ending tournament, and who knows, maybe next year we’ll have a new world No. 1.
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