Gauff pulls out of Wuhan, the title she won last year, to rest before the WTA Finals
Coco Gauff withdrew from the Wuhan Open on Wednesday, hours after losing to Elise Mertens in Beijing, saying her body needs rest after a long year. She won Wuhan last year, so she loses those 1,000 ranking points, but she has already qualified for the WTA Finals.
- Lost 6-3, 6-3 to Mertens in the Beijing last 16, her first defeat in six meetings.
- Defending champion in Wuhan: she beat Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 in the 2025 final.
- The WTA Finals moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells, 8 to 15 November.
Gauff had beaten Mertens in all five of their previous matches, then lost 6-3, 6-3 in Beijing. Later that day the tournament in Wuhan announced her withdrawal. She said she was disappointed to miss it as defending champion, but that after a long year her body needs time to rest and recover.
The week in Beijing was hard off the court as well. After a disputed hindrance call in her second-round win, she received a wave of racist messages online, which she said had been draining. The WTA condemned the abuse.
Skipping Wuhan costs her the 1,000 points from last year's title, and reports suggest Mirra Andreeva could pass her at No. 4. It does not affect the WTA Finals: she has already qualified, and this year's event moves from Riyadh to Indian Wells, from 8 to 15 November.
Losing 1,000 points is the smart choice
We think Gauff is right to stop. The 1,000 points she gives up only move her ranking, while her place in Indian Wells is already safe, and a player who lost a match she had won five times in a row looked like she needed the break. We would treat her first match after this rest with caution, though: if she skips the remaining events until November, she arrives at the Finals with no match play since Beijing.
18+Play responsibly