Coco Gauff has defended her decision to hire new coach Matt Daly after surviving another scare at the China Open.
The world No. 6 looked down and out when she trailed Paula Badosa by a set and a break in Saturday’s semi-final.
But she stormed back to book her spot in the championship match with a 4-6 6-4 6-2 win.
Gauff hired Daly a week before the WTA 1000 event started. It came off the back of her split with Brad Gilbert.
The American declared that she wanted to work on her serve with Daly, having hit 19 double faults in her disappointing fourth-round US Open exit.
It’s still been rough going in Beijing. Gauff fired down 11 double faults against Badosa and has hit 31 overall during her run to the final. But the American stands by her decision to add Daly to her camp.
“Obviously right now I’m very young, so I’m looking just for someone to help me develop in the long-term process, try to help make my game as complete as I can be,” she said of her call to hire a new mentor.
“Yeah, for me, I mean, with the relationship, adding Matt to the team, we literally just started like two weeks ago, so really only had a week to work with training-wise, then we had to come to China and the tournament.”
Gauff is back in her first final since January when she won the ASB Classic. And she believes her work with Daly is paying off, even if people can’t see what they’re doing on the practice court.
She continued: “We’re working on a lot of developmental things. He’s great. Obviously I still have JC [Jean-Christophe Faurel] on the team.
“For me, it was trying to find the mix of two people that work together well. So far, I mean, it’s obviously working result-wise. Just even behind the scenes and everything you guys don’t see, I think it’s great.
“I’m happy with my decision regardless if I lost first round or in a final this week. So yeah, I’m happy to have him on the team. I feel like he’s already making significant progress. Him and JC are working well.”
Gauff will now face Karolina Muchova with the title on the line. Previewing their clash, the 20-year-old added: “I played her twice, both on hard court. She’s a tough opponent.
“I think she’s one of the best players on tour. She just had some unlucky breaks with injuries. But it’s good to see her back healthy. That’s going to be a tough matchup. She’s dangerous.”
