Coco Gauff finally breaks through! The American star, who won the French Open this year, had been struggling to find her footing since June. Early exits followed, including a first-round crash at Wimbledon. But after picking up pace at the US Open, where she reached the round of 16, she’s finally holding another trophy. And the backstory of her rise in Wuhan might be her smartest move yet.

On Sunday, third-seeded Gauff took the trophy without dropping a set after a one-hour, 42-minute fight in the central Chinese city. In the first final ever between the former doubles partners, Gauff clawed back from multiple deficits in the second set to improve her record against Pegula to 3-4!

After the final, the American had a witty reveal about her coach. “It was a great Asian swing,” said Gauff, who made the semi-finals in Beijing last week before capping it off with the Wuhan title. “I’m going to call JC [c, my coach] out. He originally didn’t want me to come because I had a tough US Open but I had to prove him wrong. I’m a very stubborn person so maybe he said that on purpose for me to have a good result here.”

The 21-year-old also became the first player in the Open Era to win her first nine hard-court finals. As Jose Morgado pointed out on X, Gauff has twice played spoiler to history this season. She stopped Iga Swiatek’s bid for a fourth straight Roland-Garros crown. Then she wrecked Aryna Sabalenka’s Wuhan four-peat attempt. She lifted the trophy both times.

Imagine if Coco Gauff had tuned in to her coach’s advice back then! For those who don’t know, Jean‑Christophe Faurel first teamed up with Coco when she was just 14. He was right there during her jaw‑dropping 2019 Wimbledon run, when she became the youngest player to qualify for the grass‑court major. The two split in 2020 but reunited in April 2024, and since then, Faurel’s been a steady presence in her corner. Safe to say, he’s been part of the Gauff story for quite some time now!

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And speaking of her team, Coco’s been making moves again. After an unexpected split from Matt Daly, she brought in biomechanics whiz Gavin MacMillan to sharpen her serve. And wow, what a difference it’s made since the US Open! MacMillan didn’t travel through the full Asian swing, though, missing out on Beijing. But Coco quickly cleared that up, so no worries there.

Coco Gauff speaks up about her coaching team

The 20-year-old was spotted practising solo in Beijing, which quickly set off whispers that their partnership might already be over—just weeks after it began. But Gauff wasn’t having any of it. She cleared the air with a smile, saying, “I’m still working with Gavin, but he’s not here because we started last minute, so he had other plans for this part of the year. We’ll be working with each other right when I get home from here.”

Missing MacMillan didn’t stop Gauff from taking a few lessons of her own along the way. Reflecting on the week, she admitted it wasn’t all smooth sailing. “It was a good learning experience. For me, it was a tough challenge, I think mentally more so than anything, just, like, kind of losing trust in a lot of things, trying to find that in that tournament,” she said. Her honesty gave fans a peek at the growing pains even top stars endure.

Still, Gauff turned those challenges into fuel. “I really do think that it gives me confidence for the future,” she added. “I mean, the second week kind of having some really low moments on court. So I’m looking forward to now feeling refreshed and happy, feeling like I can trust myself all over again and see how I do with this mindset.” After a mentally tough stretch, that kind of reset sounds exactly what she needed.

And then came Wuhan. Coco Gauff bounced back beautifully, clinching the title and adding another trophy to her fast-growing collection. Beyond the $596,000 prize money, her win in Wuhan sealed something even bigger: World No. 3 in the WTA rankings and a guaranteed spot at the WTA Finals. Not bad for someone still settling in with a new coach.

Joining her in the elite lineup are Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Madison Keys, and Amanda Anisimova, the season’s standout names. With MacMillan guiding her soon and her new mindset kicking in, Gauff’s stubborn, fearless energy could make her the one to watch at the year-ending showdown. What do you think? Can Coco Gauff storm the Finals? Drop your thoughts in the comments!