Coco Gauff is always quick to shout out those inspiring her.

This time, it’s a two-time WNBA champion, who is helping her fueld the fire against the doubters.

Gauff is eyeing another record after winning the China OpenGetty

The US tennis star dominated unseeded Czech player Karolina Muchova to win the China Open over the weekend, the eighth WTA title of her career, but her first since January.

She won 6-1 6-3 in a match that lasted just one hour and 17 minutes.

Victory in Beijing offered a moment of glory in a year that has proved troublesome for the 2023 US Open champion in building on her Flushing Meadows success.

Despite starting 2024 strong with a win at the Auckland Open in January, Gauff has struggled since.

She was knocked out in the third round of the Olympics, the fourth round of the US Open and Wimbledon, and was a beaten semi-finalist in both the Australian Open and the French Open.

It’s easy to forget that Gauff is still just 20-years-old, given the expectation that she carries on her shoulders.

But securing her second title of the year in Beijing will help relieve some of that pressure, and speaking after that triumph, she suggested that everyone should accept the roller-coaster nature of tennis.

She also revealed that she has been taking inspiration from WNBA star A’ja Wilson, who won back-to-back championships with the Las Vegas Aces in 2022 and 2023 only to fall short of an historic three-pear in this year’s semifinals.

“People don’t realise people have great moments in sports and bad moments,” Gauff told reporters at the Wuhan Open, hitting back at the criticism.

“I took inspiration from A’ja Wilson. Back-to-back champions. People wanted them to three-peat. She’s kind of like, ‘It’s hard to stay winning all the time.’”

Gauff has taken inspiration from WNBA star WilsonGetty

Wilson’s Aces lost to the New York Liberty in four game, ending their bid for a third straight championship.

Despite the defeat, Wilson was named the WNBA’s regular season MVP for the third time.

“You need to go through losses to realise what you need to do to evolve. Tennis fans need to be more accepting of that,” Gauff concluded, drawing comparisons between the pair.

Pushing on from her victory in Beijing, Gauff’s hot-streak continued on Wednesday with a straight sets win against Viktoriya Tomova in the round of 32 at the Wuhan Open.

She is now on a seven-match winning streak, and despite a roller-coaster year, is eyeing a 14-year-old Caroline Wozniacki record.

Gauff has now won 22 WTA-1000 matches in 2024 and only Wozniacki in 2010 won more matches in a year before turning 21-years-old.

Her record stands at 27 wins, and if Gauff stays fit, she could smash that by the time 2024 concludes.