World No. 5 Jessica Pegula may have fallen just short of landing her first Wuhan title, but that didn't stop her from sending out a very classy message to Coco Gauff as she congratulated the world No. 3 on her great run and also wished all the best going forward.
In Wuhan, Pegula survived four consecutive three-set marathons to reach the final - where Gauff handed her a 6-4 7-5 loss.
By looking at the scoreline, some might think that Gauff routinely got the job done since she won in two sets. In the first set, Pegula recovered from an early break down and tied the set to four games apiece before heartbreakingly losing the next two games and the set. The second set was somehow even more painful for the world No. 5, who blew a double-break lead and lost the match after dropping the last four games of the final.
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Pegula to Gauff: You did great and it was an honor to play you as a friend
I just want to say congrats to Coco and her team. Amazing job this week, guys. You played some great tennis this week. Congrats and all the best. I know we will see each other soon at the WTA Finals. It was an honor to play you as a friend and a fellow American. That was a lot of fun to be able to play and all the best," the 31-year-old told her 10 years younger compatriot during the trophy ceremony.
Gauff also paid a beautiful tribute to Pegula.
When I came on tour, you were one of the first people to be nice to me and welcome me with open arms. That really went a long way, so I appreciate you. Its great to finally play in the final against you, and I hope for many more. So, congratulations and thank you, Gauff told Pegula.
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Had Pegula won Wuhan, she would have collected her fourth title of the year.
