What could be more satisfying than silencing your critics with a massive victory? For American tennis star Coco Gauff, probably nothing! After a rocky season that had many questioning her form, Gauff has stormed back in sensational style, putting an end to the string of subpar performances. And she’s not just heading home with any win—she’s clinching a WTA 1000 title. Gauff’s victory is more than just a win on the court—it’s a powerful response to all those critics who doubted her.

The American sensation ousted Karolina Muchova in the finals of the China Open in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 to clinch her second title of the season. At the age of 20, Coco Gauff secured her first China Open title, becoming the youngest champion in 14 years. This victory also marked the second American championship in Beijing, following Serena Williams’ triumphs in 2004 and 2013. This was Gauff’s eighth career title as she improved her record in tour finals to 8-1. She now has a 7-0 record in hard-court finals, an achievement that has never been seen before in the Open Era. 

But besides the sensational performance, what caught the attention of the tennis community was a befitting reply by Gauff to her critics. Soon after the victory, the star player took to her Instagram story and took a dig at her critics. Sharing a picture of her trophy in front of her photograph, Gauff wrote, “ ‘sHe OnLy wInS 250s’  well…. WHOMP WHOMP.”

Remember, Gauff won only one title ahead of the Beijing Open at the ASB Classic in January, which is a WTA 250 tournament. She often witnessed flak for her performance with netizens taking sharp digs at her and claiming that she cannot win at major stages, but the star player has proved them wrong. This, however, was not the first time when Gauff hit back at her critics after a title win. 

After her win at the 2023 US Open, Coco Gauff said, “Honestly, thank you to the people who didn’t believe me…. To those who thought were putting water in my fire, you’re really added gas to it. And now I’m really burning so bright right now.”

Interestingly, the China Open win was also Gauff’s first title after her partnership with Matt Daly that came ahead of the tournament and hence, it is indeed special for both of them. “I would like to thank my team. It’s our first tournament together as a full, complete team,” Gauff said. “Thank you, Matt, this is our first tournament together, and obviously, it’s going well, so thank you for helping me throughout this week.”

Gauff ended ties with her former coach Brad Gilbert ahead of the China Open. She also opened up about her aspirations with her new coach and said, “the focus right now is the serve. When I serve well, I play pretty well. For me, that’s the basis for my game.” Indeed, the stats from the match depict the same.

Gauff fired 6 aces against just two of her opponent. Besides, her 1st serve wins percentage stood at 84.8% in the final match, which is way above her season average of 71.7%. Meanwhile, besides the fans, Gauff’s sensational performance received praise from her opponent as well. 

“Kicked My Bu–” Karolina Muchova concedes defeat to Coco Gauff

Coco Gauff did not just defeat Muchova but did it in style. She left the Czech star baffling and ended the entire match in just 77 minutes, taking the opening set in 31 minutes. She dropped just five points on her first serve, hit 24 winners and broke Muchova five times. Speaking after the match, Muchova praised Gauff’s performance.

“You kicked my bu– today… Literally… Again,” the 2023 French Open finalist and a two-time US Open semi-finalist said. “You must love to play against me. It was really tough today. It just showed how great of an athlete you are,” she added. This loss marked the third time Muchova fell to Gauff in straight sets, extending their head-to-head record to 3-0 in favor of the 20-year-old.

Gauff’s victory in Beijing bolstered her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals for the third consecutive year. Before the season’s last WTA 1000 event, the Wuhan Open, which begins on Monday, she will pass Jessica Pegula to claim the No. 5 ranking.

As the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if Coco Gauff can continue this form and win yet more titles in the remaining tournaments that she will be playing this season.