Overview
- Gauff defeated Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 and became the first since Serena Williams to win nine consecutive WTA hard-court finals.
- Her Wuhan run confirmed WTA Finals qualification, and she said she will take a short break before ramping up preparation in Riyadh.
- Gauff has tallied 405 double faults this season after bringing in biomechanist Gavin MacMillan to revamp her motion, drawing scrutiny from CoCo Vandeweghe and Robbie Koenig and optimism from Andy Roddick.
- Pegula upset world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the Wuhan semifinals and secured her own spot at the season-ending event.
- Sabalenka retained the No. 1 ranking, addressed criticism for a racket throw that nearly hit a ball kid, and credited advice from Novak Djokovic with helping her capture the US Open.