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Gauff names hard court as her favourite surface following Wuhan Open title victory

Originally posted on HITC | By Max Kilham | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 8:50 AM ET

Coco Gauff delivered an outstanding performance on Sunday to secure her 11th WTA Tour title.

She came out on top against fellow American Jessica Pegula in the Wuhan Open final, overcoming her former doubles partner in straight sets.

Gauff found herself down a double-break in the second set but fought back to win 6-4, 7-5. This victory marks her third WTA Tour title of the year, adding to her wins at Roland Garros and the Canadian Open Women’s Doubles.

The 21-year-old has shown she excels on both hard and clay courts, and after her win in Wuhan, she named which surface she prefers. Speaking about what surfaces she likes best after winning at Roland Garros in May:

Coco Gauff picks hard courts as her favourite surface

Gauff’s hard-court record now stands out even more after it was revealed she has become the first woman in the Open Era to win her first nine finals on the surface.

She is also the first player since Serena Williams to win nine consecutive hard-court finals, a streak Serena achieved between the 2013 US Open and 2015 Cincinnati Open.

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“I definitely think it’s the surface I’m most true to,” Gauff said in a WTA interview after her victory. “Obviously, growing up, I just liked the sureness of bounces and the sureness of knowing when I’m going to stop and when I’m going to go.

“It’s special and also being American, I feel like that’s our surface. A lot of people think it’s clay so I don’t know [about] the favourite surface debate.”

“I feel like it’s still going to be hard court for me, but yeah, I didn’t know that was a stat, so I’ll try not to think about it if I’m in another hard court final to keep that record going.”

Coco Gauff’s Wuhan Open prize money revealed

Both Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula earned significant paydays from the Wuhan Open final. Pegula took home $351,003, while Gauff pocketed $596,000.

In 2024, the winner received $525,115 and the runner-up collected $309,280. The total prize fund that year was $3,221,715. This year’s total prize pool was slightly higher at $3,654,963.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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