CoCo Vandeweghe says there’s a mistake people keep making about Coco Gauff as she wins the Wuhan Open title

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Coco Gauff has regained her form at the perfect time after winning the Wuhan Open shortly before the WTA Finals.

Gauff loved winning the Wuhan Open, which she achieved via a 6-4, 7-5 victory over her fellow American Jessica Pegula.

Pegula congratulated Gauff on her success in China, which represents her 11th WTA title, and second of the season so far.

Both Gauff and Pegula will soon turn their focus to the WTA Finals, which return to Riyadh early next month.

Gauff won the WTA Finals in 2024, and has already qualified for this year’s tournament alongside five other players so far.

CoCo Vandeweghe says people keep making a mistake about Wuhan Open champion Coco Gauff

American duo Gauff and Pegula will be joined in Riyadh by compatriots Amanda Anisimova and Madison Keys, as well as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

Previewing the upcoming event after Gauff’s latest success, former player CoCo Vandeweghe said on Tennis Channel: “It’s all about Coco’s fight.

“And I think any time we try to count Coco Gauff out, she shows up and wins and dominates these players that we think, ‘Oh this should be a lot closer’.

READ MORE: Coco Gauff’s victory in Wuhan is made even more remarkable considering what happened to her just last week

“Or maybe Jess Pegula should dominate this matchup, because they know each other so well, they used to play doubles together, and they’ve been really the backbone of American tennis for the last couple of years.

“But for Coco, we’re always going to be looking at that serve because of the changes that she’s made in it and the little nuances.

“Will it happen at this tournament right now coming up? I don’t think so. It needs a little bit more time. But I think putting this serve under pressure is going to be so important for next year.

“I think she’s always going to be a fighter, always going to be a contender, whether or not she can uphold against somebody that’s going to be hitting big and condition speed of the court, that’s going to be a huge factor out there.

“Because if it’s a quick surface, then you can rush the forehand, because Coco is kicking a lot of her serves to get a high first serve percentage, instead of going for a bigger one. That becomes more attackable the more people see it.”

CoCo Vandeweghe predicts who will reach the final of the WTA Finals

Gauff’s service has let her down on occasion, but she can take some form of confidence from her success amid those struggles.

Worryingly, however, she does lead the entire WTA Tour this season for double faults, having recorded a huge 405 so far.

But Vandeweghe is backing Gauff for another lengthy run in Riyadh, having been asked if there is any chance of her reaching the final alongside Pegula.

She replied: “I’m just going to go for a quick pick and I’m going to go Coco against Anisimova. But obviously we’ve got to see if the draw Gods live up to it, so we’ll find out.”

Vandeweghe likely won’t be far off the nationality of the finalists at least, with four American players having qualified for the WTA Finals.

That said, they occupy spots 3-6 in the qualification standings, with European duo Sabalenka and Swiatek representing the top two.