Coco Gauff wins the DC Open for the biggest title of her young career

Coco Gauff did a little dance and a twirl after ripping the cross-court backhand winner Sunday that clinched her title at the DC Open. 

She had just played for 84 minutes in punishing heat and smothering humidity typical of late summer in Washington, but she looked cool as could be as she celebrated on the court, every bit a vivacious 19-year-old. Gauff had made it a point to have more fun and show more of her personality on the court this week.

Whether loosening up led to her wins or her wins allowed her to relax didn’t matter — by defeating Maria Sakkari, 6-2, 6-3, the seventh-ranked Gauff claimed her first career win at a WTA 500-level tournament.

It is her most prestigious title so far — she has three 250-level wins to her name — and the victory makes her the first teenager with four titles since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009. This title joins her runner-up finish at the 2022 French Open at the top of her résumé.

“I think the caliber of players I have beat this week was probably the strongest out of all of the tournaments I’ve played,” Gauff said. Had Gauff won at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center in any previous year, she would have collected another title from a 250-level tournament, the lowest designation on the WTA tour. 

But because the DC Open women’s event was elevated to a 500-level tournament this year, Gauff adds more heft to her trophy cabinet — quite literally.

She was surprised by the weight of the black-and-silver trophy named for one of the tournament’s founders, Donald Dell, but “I [don’t] go to the gym for nothing,” she said, laughing, before she hoisted the hardware onto her hip. 

 By finding a balance between a lighter attitude and a steely focus on the court, Gauff played some of her best tennis of the year in her first tournament after a surprise first-round loss to Sofia Kenin at Wimbledon.

A dominant serve, more confidence in her forehand and an aggressive game plan courtesy of a new coaching team propelled her to four straight-sets wins, three of which came against top-20 opponents, including the ninth-ranked Sakkari. Gauff’s athleticism also served her well. 

The conditions were slow and heavy because of the heat and humidity. Rallies that ordinarily would have been quick on hard courts were drawn out, and more power than usual was required to put away a winner. The slow ball gave players time to run down every shot should they want to, which Gauff always does. 

Hardly anyone on tour is as quick as she is, and even Sakkari, the biggest gym rat in women’s tennis, couldn’t keep up with Gauff’s young legs. During her acceptance speech, Gauff ran through the routine thank-you list to her team, including new coaches Pere Riba and Brad Gilbert, the latter of whom she also called a “consultant.”

She then diverged, shouting out her little brothers before explaining that they were at a family birthday party in New Orleans, so she didn’t know if they were watching. In her news conference afterward, she briefly answered a FaceTime call from her brother, rolling her eyes at his timing.