Coco Gauff will become the new world No. 1 doubles player on Monday when the rankings are released. She will become the 46th player to accomplish the feat and the 11th American woman.
Gauff achieved that milestone by winning the National Bank Open with compatriot Jessica Pegula on Sunday. Together, they topped Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez 6-4, 6-7 (5), [10-5].
For Gauff and Pegula, it was their second title at a WTA 1000 tournament this season. In February, they won the Qatar TotalEnergies Open in Doha.
“Being No. 1 is pretty cool,” Gauff said in his postgame press conference. “I’m speechless… I really didn’t know this week was coming and what I was supposed to do. But [Pegula] he told me yesterday
“As a kid, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t even know there were separate rankings for singles and doubles. But when I went on tour and realized I could do well in doubles, yeah… .. I wanted to. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be No. 1 at anything?”
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Gauff has had other outstanding doubles results over the past 12 months, including reaching two Grand Slam finals at the 2021 US Open (with Caty McNally) and earlier this season at Roland Garros (with Pegula). Gauff also reached the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart alongside partner Zhang Shuai.
At 18 years and 154 days on Monday, Gauff is the second-youngest player in history to win the No. 1 doubles ranking (which was presented on Sept. 10, 1984) behind Martina Hingis, who was 17 and 251 days when she took first place in June 1998.
Gauff and No. 3 seed Pegula had to go down to the wire before winning Sunday’s final. After falling behind 3-0, Gauff and Pegula excelled in their comeback as the first set wore on, winning six of the next seven games to take a one-set lead.
Melichar-Martínez and Pérez held firm in the second set, saving three championship points with a 5-4 and three more with a 6-5. The unseeded duo took the tiebreaker after a backhand winner from Perez found the baseline, and a decisive tiebreaker would decide the victors.
Perez’s gutsy play at the net saw his team fall back from 6-2 to 6-5 in the tiebreaker. However, Gauff and Pegula held strong, and a volley winner by Gauff gave the pair a seventh championship point at 9-5. A forehand from Pegula forced an error to clinch the title and world No. 1 ranking for Gauff.
Like Gauff, whose accolades are provided above, Pegula has also had a breakout season in doubles. Toronto marks Pegula’s fourth career doubles title, third this season and second in two weeks. Pegula won the title in Washington, DC last week along with Erin Routliffe.
Already a Top 10 singles player, Pegula will make her top 10 doubles debut this Monday.
“I’m so glad I could help [Gauff] get there today,” Pegula said. “I think we’re No. 1 in the race and the top two Americans in singles. So it’s been a really nice little journey that we’re going on together, even though I’m ten years older,” he added with a laugh.