Coco Gauff serves up a masterclass to push Muchova aside at China Open | Coco Gauff

World No. 6 Coco Gauff dominated unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova to win Sunday’s China Open final 6-1, 6-3 and become the first player to win each of their first seven WTA hard-court finals in the Open Era .

Gauff fired 24 winners in a strong performance, adding the Beijing Trophy to her victory in this year’s Auckland Classic and winning the second WTA 1000 title of her career following her 2023 victory in Cincinnati, where she also defeated Muchova in the final.

“I want to congratulate you, Karolina, it’s great to see you on tour again,” Gauff said of her opponent Muchova, who faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines after a wrist injury at the 2023 US Open.

“I think you are such a great player, you deserve everything and hopefully you will play many more finals.” Gauff, who improved her head-to-head record against Muchova to 3-0, has now won eight of her nine WTA finals.

The tournament was Gauff’s first after adding Matt Daly to her coaching team following her split from Brad Gilbert last month. “I would like to thank my team. It’s our first tournament together as a complete team,” Gauff said.

“Thanks Matt, this is our first tournament together, and it’s obviously going well, so thanks for helping me all week,” Gauff said.

Heading into the final, Gauff had lost the first set in three straight matches and the former US Open champion was determined to break that trend, serving in the opening match and breaking early for a 2-0 lead. The American continued to build on that momentum with two more holds to keep from before breaking again to take the lead 5-1.

After dropping no points in her first three service games, some doubt crept in when Gauff had to defend a break point, but she managed to take the set with an emphatic forehand winner.

Gauff’s serve continued to falter early in the second set, leading to two double faults in her opening service game as Muchova broke for a 2-0 lead, but the American responded by ramping up the aggression and approaching the net to immediately rebound break.

Muchova, who defeated Australian Open and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in earlier rounds, appeared deflated after losing her lead and won just two points in the next three matches as Gauff jumped to a 4-2 lead came. The fourth seed sealed the win by breaking serve when Muchova’s backhand sailed long on match point.

Earlier on Sunday, Paris Olympic gold medalists Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini defeated Chan Hao-Ching and Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-4 in the women’s doubles final to claim their third WTA Tour title of achieved the year.

Sinner and Alcaraz advance in Shanghai

At the ATP Shanghai Masters, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner booked his place in the fourth round with a comeback win over Tomas Martín Etcheverry. Sinner lost the opening set on a tie-break before bouncing back to secure a 6-7 (3), 6-4 6-2 win in two hours and 39 minutes.

“It was a very tough match, physically and mentally, so I’m very happy to get through it,” said Sinner, who will face Roberto Carballés Baena or Ben Shelton in the last 16. Daniil Medvedev also fought back from a set to beat Italian Matteo Arnaldi 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz earned his spot in the fourth round with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory over wildcard Wu Yibing. The Spaniard, who remains undefeated since his surprise early exit at the US Open, will face Gaël Monfils or Ugo Humbert for a place in the last eight. PA media