China has always been a happy hunting ground for Coco Gauff. In the last three seasons, the American has won 22 of her 25 matches in Beijing and Wuhan combined, while winning the China Open in 2024 and securing the title at the Wuhan Open in 2025. Compared to her past exploits, the 2026 Asian swing ended with the World No. 4 taking a break after ending a physically and mentally exhausting time on the court.
Gauff’s announcement that she is stepping back from the Wuhan Open shows she has clear priorities, putting her health over the points she needed to defend to retain her title. For someone who has not missed a single WTA 1000 event in the last two years, even when many of her peers have, one has to lend an understanding ear to the American’s decision.
“I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion,” said Gauff on the official Instagram page of the Wuhan Open. “I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year.”
Of the 12 Tour-level titles that she has won, there has been only one instance of a successful title defense from Gauff, as she won the ASB Classic in Auckland in 2023 and 2024. Still, the American would have hoped for a decent run at the Wuhan Open, which would have helped her keep the likes of Mirra Andreeva at bay on the rankings, with the Russian at No. 5 and getting an opportunity to replace the American.
As for her time at the China Open, the fourth-round loss against Elise Mertens saw the American play while having blurry vision and suffering from a lack of energy. The other two matches also had their part to play, as Gauff had to battle past Camila Osorio in a three-set match in the second round before tackling the off-court noise and abuse she received after her match against Xinran Sun.
Gauff has played 62 matches this season, which is par for the course compared to her match tallies of 64, 72, and 67 in the last three seasons. What is more standout is that the World No. 4 has played 29 three-set matches this year, which is almost half of her total matches. She has an 18-11 record in those three-set matches, vindicating her game style, which often sees her elongate matches with long baseline rallies and trump opponents with her movement on the court.
Gauff has played some brutal campaigns this year, including the Miami Open, where five of her six matches went three sets. On the clay, she had an equally grueling campaign in Rome, playing three sets in four of her six matches. The most impressive of them all, perhaps, was her Wimbledon campaign, where Gauff played five consecutive three-set matches, which helped her reach the maiden semifinal at the SW19.
Having withdrawn from Wuhan, Gauff’s only notable event is the WTA Finals, scheduled for Indian Wells next month.
Coco Gauff Will Look to Have a Strong Finish at the WTA Finals
Having withdrawn from Wuhan, Gauff will get the additional time to rest and prepare for the WTA Finals. Taking the 120 points into account from Beijing, the American is in No. 5 with 5774 points and has all but confirmed her spot in the final eight for the fifth year in a row.
Gauff will be motivated to finish strong at the Finals, as that has helped her tackle the new season with greater vigor in previous seasons. Back in 2024, the American won the WTA Finals after an epic three-set final against Zheng Qinwen. That title helped her make a strong start to the 2025 season, during which she went unbeaten at the United Cup, reached the Australian Open quarterfinal, and gradually built her form on clay to clinch the title at Roland Garros.
With the Finals set to be in Indian Wells, Gauff will have her work cut out as the American has a 12-6 win-loss record at the venue when the WTA 1000 event is played. Fans will hope that the American gets the reset she needs from the break and shows her best form to finish the year strong.