Coco Gauff fires back at troll after being accused of behaving like a 'child' following China Open win: "Kids have the best outlook on life"

Coco Gauff bettered Karolina Muchova in the title contest of the 2024 China Open. The American, delighted by her triumph, did not hold back while responding to trolls, who called her post-match conduct childlike.

Gauff and Muchova met for the third time on the WTA Tour on October 6, and the former came out on top in straight sets for the third time in a row. Gauff had struggled with serving and unforced errors throughout her time at the China Open. However, she turned it around against arguably the best player of the tournament in the final.

The American youngster created nine break-point opportunities on her Czech rival's serve and converted five of them en route to a thumping 6-1, 6-3 win. After the victory, Gauff took to Instagram to hit back at critics who had slammed her for not performing well at big tournaments in 2024.

""sHe OnLy wInS 250s" Well.. WHOMP WHOMP," Gauff wrote.

Screengrab from Instagram

The comment went viral on social media and stirred strong reactions from fans, one of which accused Coco Gauff of behaving childishly. The American took the critical message as a compliment, stating that children have the best outlook on life, and she hopes to take inspiration from them to make her tennis journey more pleasurable.

"Coco has the mentality of a 5 year old i'm sorry," a fan wrote on X.

"Honestly kids have the best out look on life. they are so positive and creative. so I’ll take it my goal this tournament was to play and enjoy tennis as much as I did when I was a kid because that’s when life was/is the most fun!" she responded.

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Coco Gauff heads to Wuhan after China Open triumph

Coco Gauff (Source: Getty)

Coco Gauff is set to compete at the year's last WTA 1000 event in Wuhan after picking up silverware at the China Open. Gauff had a tough campaign in Beijing and showed remarkable resilience in the Chinese capital. Seeded fourth at the China Open, the American defeated Clara Burel, Katie Boulter, Naomi Osaka, Yuliia Starodubtseva, Paula Badosa, and Karolina Muchova.

The 2024 China Open was Gauff's eighth WTA Tour title and second in the WTA 1000 category after the 2023 Cincinnati Open, where, incidentally, she also beat Muchova in the final. The 1000 points she gained in Beijing will help the American return to the top 5 of the WTA rankings.

Coco Gauff is next set to compete at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open. The tournament is back on the WTA schedule for the first time since 2019 and will also feature Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Zheng Qinwen. Gauff is seeded fourth and received a first-round bye in Wuhan. She will face either Ashlyn Krueger or Viktoriya Tomova in the second round.