Coco Gauff, a professional tennis player from the United States, won her third title of the season by defeating Karolina Muchova in the finals of the Southern and Western Opens.
The seventh-seeded American put on an excellent effort, upsetting the world’s 17th-ranked player by a score of 6-3, 6-4. Gauff dominated the match for nearly two hours, claiming the victory in Cincinnati.
The 19-year-old’s victory ensures her a move to sixth place in the WTA rankings the following week. Despite the setback, Czech player Muchova will take heart in the fact that she has secured a berth in the top ten rankings.
Biggest title of her career! 🏆@Cocogauff defeats Muchova 6-3, 6-4 for her 3rd title this year and 5th of her career! #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/TPriB7V4X5
— wta (@WTA) August 20, 2023
Muchova exhibited her tenacity in the second set, saving three match points at 5-2 and recovering one break. Nonetheless, Gauff persevered and emerged victorious.
Gauff hired Pere Riba, a former men’s top-100 player, as her main coach just before Wimbledon. She then brought in Brad Gilbert as a consultant before the D.C. tournament, briefly joining her coaching team.
Gilbert, a former top-10 player and current ESPN analyst, has an excellent coaching resume, having worked with players such as Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick.
Gauff became the tournament’s fourth teenage finalist, the first since Vera Zvonareva in 2004. She also holds the distinction of being the first teenage champion since Linda Tuero in 1968, at the age of 17.
According to the Singles Women’s Tennis Association, she attained a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world on October 24, 2022. She also rose to the top of the doubles rankings, earning world No. 1 on August 15, 2022.