A little more than a month ago, Coco Gauff left Wimbledon after a first-round loss that left her dispirited and unsure of her game. Those doubts now seem far away after she won the very next tournament she entered.
Gauff defeated Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 in the DC Open women’s final on Sunday for the fourth WTA Tour singles title of her career.
The 19-year-old was helped in Washington by two recent additions to her team: full-time coach Pere Riba – who will be with her at least through the US Open, which starts on 28 August – and temporary consultant Brad Gilbert.
“It’s our first tournament as a full team. I’m glad that we were able to make this result. Thank you for sticking with me,” Gauff said during the trophy ceremony. “I know those who were with me at Wimbledon, it was really tough. … I’m glad I was able to bounce back.”
Gauff, the world No 7, did not drop a set all week at the hard-court tournament. This was her second trophy of the season, alongside her victory at the Auckland Classic in January. On Sunday Gauff, the runner-up at the 2022 French Open, hit seven aces and improved to 4-1 in tour finals. She is the first teenager to win four WTA tournaments since April 2009, when Caroline Wozniacki got the fourth of the seven trophies she collected as a teenager.
“You deserve everything you have achieved,” Sakkari told Gauff. “You’re still a girl, so you have a lot of time … and a lot of success to come, even though I know you’ve already achieved so many great things.”
Gauff grabbed a 3-0 lead after just 10 minutes with the help of a trio of aces at up to 114 mph. Then she accumulated two break points, each giving her the chance to go up 4-0. But Sakkari saved both to get to deuce on her serve. That’s when there was a three-minute delay as a fan received medical treatment on a day of high temperatures and humidity in Washington DC.
When play resumed Sakkari hit back. She held for 3-1, then broke for 3-2 when Gauff double-faulted twice in a game. Suddenly, it was a match again. Or so it seemed. But just as suddenly, Gauff regained the upper hand, using terrific defense to put pressure on her opponent. Gauff closed the opening set with a huge forehand.
Sakkari briefly regrouped and broke immediately to open the second set when Gauff dumped a drop shot into the net. Gauff put her hands on her head, walked to the sideline and hit her equipment bag with her racket. Soon, Sakkari led 2-0.
But Sakkari double-faulted to get broken to 3-3, and errors kept coming too. Soon afterwards Gauff claimed victory.
This was the first year of Washington’s tournament as a combined ATP-WTA 500 event. Despite that equal billing, the prize money is still not the same – and isn’t expected to be until 2027. Gauff earned $120,150, while the men’s champion will receive a check for $353,445.