Coco Gauff finally redeemed herself after winning the championship at the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing, outlasting Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday. It was her first singles championship since January. She became the second American tennis champion in Beijing, following Serena Williams in 2004 and 2013.
Gauff lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon, then she unsuccessfully defended her title at the US Open. Both losses came at the hands of Emma Navarro. After changing her support group, she headed to Beijing to play in the China Open, using the event as a “practice” week.
Following her slump-breaking victory, Coco Gauff revealed that she drew inspiration from three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
“People don’t realize people have great moments in sports and bad moments. It doesn’t mean anything,” Gauff said. “I took inspiration from A’ja Wilson. Back-to-back champions. People wanted them to three-peat. She’s kind of like, ‘It’s hard to stay winning all the time.’”
Coco Gauff (USA) aftrer a 3rd set game winner againstto Emma Navarro (USA) on day seven of the 2024 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Gauff added, “You need to go through losses to realize what you need to do to evolve. Tennis fans need to be more accepting of that.”
Meanwhile, in a rematch of last year’s finals, A’ja Wilson’s Las Vegas Aces fell to the New York Liberty in the semifinals, ending their reign as the two-time defending champions and ending their hopes for a three-peat. Coco Gauff would then take lessons from the Aces’ defeat.
Coco Gauff met ‘inspirational’ A’ja Wilson at the Paris Olympics
Coco Gauff and A’ja Wilson met for the first time before the American contingent got on the boat for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The young tennis star couldn’t hide her fangirling tendencies when she met the WNBA star.
“I love you so much! You’re so inspirational,” Gauff said to Wilson in an encounter caught on video.
The no.2 women’s singles tennis player talked to the three-time WNBA MVP, saying that she also used to play basketball but “wasn’t any good” at it. Regardless, Wilson called her “amazing.”
While Coco Gauff called Wilson an inspiration, It was she who became the inspiration that day as she was voted by her Team USA teammates to be the country’s flag-bearer alongside NBA star LeBron James. She earned the distinction of being the youngest ever athlete to carry the “Old Glory” in the Olympics.
A’ja Wilson played for Team USA alongside fellow Aces teammates Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray. The team won their eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal—and their 10th overall—after beating host country France. Wilson was declared the Olympics MVP.
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