Gauff beats Muchova in China for eighth WTA title

World number six Coco Gauff dominated unseeded Czech player Karolina Muchova to win the China Open – the eighth WTA title of her career and first since January.

The American fourth seed had struggled with her serve earlier in the week and was forced to battle back from a set down against Paula Badosa in the semis to reach her first final since winning in Auckland at the start of the year.

But the 2023 US Open champion showed little sign of that fragility as she claimed a 6-1 6-3 win in one hour and 17 minutes.

Victory in the WTA 1,000 event in Beijing moved Gauff up to fourth place in the Race to the Finals, with the top seven qualifying for the season-ending tournament in Riyadh in November.

The young star rattled through the opening set in just 30 minutes, harrying her opponent into a series of unforced errors to claim two breaks of serve.

Muchova, 28, who had lost four of her previous five WTA finals and claimed her only title in 2019, was unable to match Gauff’s power and athleticism.

However, Gauff’s problems with her serve briefly surfaced in her first service game of the second set, as she sent down three double faults to hand Muchova the break and a 2-0 lead.

But she broke back immediately to start a run of four consecutive games.

Muchova eventually handed Gauff victory by firing a forehand long with her 24th unforced error which, when compared to her opponent’s 24 winners, told the story of the match.

Gauff celebrated her first title under new coach Matt Daly with a beaming smile, after ending her partnership with Brad Gilbert last month following her fourth-round exit at the US Open, where she failed to defend her crown.

She now moves on to the Wuhan Open, also in China, which starts on Monday.