WTA WTA Wuhan 2026 Cori Gauff

The reigning champion of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan withdraws and will not be able to defend her title

Andrés Tomás Rico - 7 Oct 2026
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The last champion of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan will not be able to defend her title this year. Photo: WTA

The WTA 1000 in Wuhan, which starts next Monday, October 12, will not have the presence of the last champion. Coco Gauff announced through social media that she will not be able to participate in the last WTA 1000 of the season and, therefore, defend the title she won last year after her defeat against Elise Mertens in the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 in Beijing by 6-3, 6-3.

“I am disappointed not to be able to play in Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there. After a long year, my body needs time to rest and recover. I am looking forward to returning next year,” she stated in a statement shared on the tournament's social media.

Gauff could lose the fourth place in the WTA ranking to Andreeva

Gauff's absence in Wuhan will have consequences on the WTA ranking, as she will lose a total of 1,000 points, combined with the 270 points for not reaching the semifinals last year in Beijing. Despite the point loss, the American maintains her fourth position. However, if Mirra Andreeva wins her quarterfinal match against Ekaterina Alexandrova, she would take the fourth spot in the world ranking.

In this way, Coco Gauff is left with only the WTA Finals at the beginning of November, which will be held in Indian Wells, to conclude a 2026 in which she did not manage to win any Grand Slam, with the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open being her best results in the four major tournaments of the calendar. Meanwhile, during the rest of the season, she only managed to add one more title to her record, the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati. 
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La última campeona del WTA 1000 de Wuhan causa baja y no podrá defender el título