In her first tournament since joining forces with new coach Matt Daly, Coco Gauff has already reaped rewards by clinching her second WTA title of 2024 at the China Open. The 20-year-old American, ranked world No. 6, secured a commanding 6-1 6-3 victory over unseeded Karolina Muchova in the final, marking her first title since January and her eighth overall on the WTA Tour.
Gauff’s dominant performance against the Czech player, currently ranked No. 49, was reminiscent of her best form. The young star stormed through the first set in just 30 minutes, pressuring Muchova into repeated unforced errors and claiming two breaks of serve.
Muchova, who was once ranked as high as No. 8 before a wrist injury at the 2023 US Open sidelined her, had a standout tournament, defeating top seed Aryna Sabalenka and home favorite Zheng Qinwen. However, she couldn’t match Gauff’s intensity, power, and athleticism. The 28-year-old had lost her previous two encounters with Gauff, including the 2023 Cincinnati Open final, and struggled in four of her last five WTA finals. Despite a brief resurgence early in the second set when she led 2-0 after Gauff double-faulted twice, Gauff quickly regained control. A series of four consecutive games for the American led her to the victory, with Muchova’s…
