The French Open champion, making his second appearance at the Wuhan Open, fell behind 3-0 in the second set, but worked hard to narrow the gap to 5-3 and finally won four consecutive games to seal the victory.
At 5-4, Pegula had a chance to force a decider on serve, but was decisively broken by the ruthless Gauff.
“You’re the queen of three sets,” she told Pegula on court, “so I decided not to let you get there today because I felt the odds were in your favor in the third set.”
Pegula reached deciding sets in all eight of her matches before the Wuhan Open, while Gauff finished all of her matches in straight sets.
“As a friend and fellow American, it’s an honor to play against you in the finals,” the gracious Pegula added.
“This is our first finals, so it’s fun to be there.”
