Follow us on Google Discover Coco Gauff has progressed at the Wuhan Open by beating Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima in comprehensive style.
Gauff is on course to break a 20-year record at the Wuhan Open, and after a disappointing China Open, this was a very impressive showing.
Gauff was questioned by Rennae Stubbs after a 58-minute defeat to Amanda Anisimova last week, but here she bounced back with aplomb.
The 21-year-old defeated Uchijima to the loss of just one game with the 6-1, 6-0 victory, going a long way towards silencing her doubters.
Gauff shared how she felt on her serve last week, and here she showcased exactly what she’s been working on since losing in the fourth round of the US Open.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesCoco Gauff did something remarkable on serve during Wuhan Open win
Naturally, Gauff will have to showcase this level of brilliance against better opposition as the tournament progresses, but this was a great start.
Gauff is far and away the top of the pops when it comes to double faults on the WTA Tour in 2025, but here she failed to serve a single double.
Furthermore, she won a staggering 89% of her points on first serve and managed to get her own first serve in 85% of the time.
Gauff missed just five first serves in the entire match, and that represents a real sign of improvement.
The one thing that has always held Gauff back in terms of total domination is her service game and on this evidence, positive strides forward have been made away from the court.
After the match, Gauff told Sky Sports Tennis: “Today was a good match for me, I played well, so I’m super happy to be back here in Wuhan and move on to the next round.
“I have no expectations. It’s the last tournament for me in Asia, so I am going to enjoy my last week here and then go back home and get ready for the WTA Finals.”
Coco Gauff stats vs Moyuka Uchijima
The commentary team of Sue Thearle and former Slovenian tennis player Tina Krizan were very impressed with Gauff in her first match at the Wuhan Open.
Thearle said: “That is a performance which lays down a marker for the rest of the field in Wuhan. She only dropped a couple of points behind her first serve, there was nothing Unijima could do today, it was just outstanding from start to finish.”
Krizan agreed, adding: “It certainly was a superb performance from Gauff. Really good serving, great shots on the baseline, she came to the net and used good variation with slices and drop shots.
“She hardly made any errors and used every single short ball to her advantage with her opponent on the back foot. What a lovely display of tennis from her.”
Gauff will be happy with her 51-minute demolition job and now the challenge is to keep up this standard when playing top-level opposition at this tournament.