BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Second seed Coco Gauff came from a set down to defeat Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 and reach the China Open quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Bencic, the 15th seed and Tokyo Olympic champion, broke late in the first set to win 6-4 on Diamond Court. The Swiss capitalized on an untimely lapse from Gauff in the ninth game before holding serve to take the opener.
The second set was tightly contested, with both players trading breaks before Gauff forced a tiebreak. Bencic showed her frustration after being broken midway through the set, smashing her racket and later complaining to the chair umpire about noise from Gauff's team box. Gauff kept her composure and edged the tiebreak 7-4 to level the match.
"I knew she said something to my team, but I didn't hear it myself," Gauff said. "They told me she said, 'Shut up.' I didn't like that comment, but I just told myself I had to move on. Honestly, it made me want to win even more."
The defending champion raced ahead in the decider, breaking twice to lead 5-1 before sealing victory with a service hold. It was their sixth career meeting, with Gauff extending her head-to-head advantage to 4-2.
Reflecting on her performance, the 20-year-old American admitted the contest tested her resolve.
"It was a tough match, but I'm happy with how I fought today," the two-time Grand Slam winner said. "I think sometimes I can actually play a little better when I'm annoyed, not at myself but at something else. That helped me buckle down after losing the first set."
Gauff also commented on the demanding calendar after a week marked by multiple retirements, with five singles players withdrawing on Monday, including home favorite and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
"With the mandatory rules, I understand the business side, but from a player health standpoint, I don't really agree with it," she explained. "I would love to see the season shortened to make things easier for both players and tournaments."
Already qualified for her fourth straight WTA Finals, Gauff will next face Germany's Eva Lys, who rallied past American McCartney Kessler 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. ■
Xu Yifan(2nd L)/Yang Zhaoxuan (1st L) greet Timea Babos (1st R) /Luisa Stefani after the women's doubles second round match between Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan of China and Timea Babos of Hungary/Luisa Stefani of Brazil at 2025 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Sept. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Han)
Timea Babos (L) /Luisa Stefani celebrate after the women's doubles second round match between Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan of China and Timea Babos of Hungary/Luisa Stefani of Brazil at 2025 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Sept. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Han)
Timea Babos competes during the women's doubles second round match between Xu Yifan/Yang Zhaoxuan of China and Timea Babos of Hungary/Luisa Stefani of Brazil at 2025 China Open tennis tournament in Beijing, China, Sept. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Han)
微信扫描下方的二维码阅读本文
