Coco Gauff seemed destined for back-to-back finals after leading her Wuhan Open semi-final match with Aryna Sabalenka.
But after taking the first set 6-1 against the US Open champion, Gauff suffered successive 4-6, 4-6 losses to Sabalenka.
Gauff won the China Open last week, enjoying immediate success under new coach Matt Daly after splitting with Brad Gilbert.
The 20-year-old beat Karolina Muchova in the Beijing final, but didn’t have enough in her locker to make it past Sabalenka at the Wuhan Open.
Andy Roddick is delighted with Gauff’s turnaround, with the latter having endured a difficult period in her latter stages with Gilbert.
Coco Gauff breaks unwanted record in Wuhan Open loss to Aryna Sabalenka
She will be disappointed by her latest defeat, although there is no shame in losing to Wuhan Open specialist Sabalenka.
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Gauff did, however, make it easy for the Belarusian, with the American making 21 double faults, the most in a WTA main draw match in 2024, as per OptaAce.
Coco Gauff making huge strides despite Wuhan Open loss
Gauff was the victim of her own downfall against Sabalenka, with that area of her game clearly needing to be worked on with Daly.
But she should still take the positives from her Asian swing, particularly after undergoing such a major transition.
Moreover, aged just 20, Gauff is only going to get better with time and experience, especially by constantly battling it out with the game’s top players.
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The 2023 US Open champion is now fourth in the WTA rankings, with her sights likely set on overtaking compatriot Jessica Pegula in third in the near future.
She does, however, simply need to keep taking things one match and one tournament at a time, with huge steps already made under Daly.
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