Gauff survives Fernandez to reach next round of China Open

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Coco Gauff marched to the Round of 16 in the ongoing China Open tournament after containing Leylah Fernandez, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, on Sept. 28, 2025, in Beijing.

Fresh off a lopsided victory over Kamilla Rakhimova, Gauff found tighter competition against the former Grand Slam finalist after conceding her first-ever set loss in the tournament.

After scoring a break point that proved to be the pivotal turning point to grab an early 1-0 lead, Fernandez quickly responded in the second set and gave Gauff a dose of her own medicine.

Midway through the second frame, Fernandez climbed back from a fifth-game deficit to break Gauff’s service possession, en route to a second-set equalizer.

From throwing accurate forehand bombs in the first set, Gauff’s offense slowed down in the following frame and she experienced difficulty receiving Fernandez’s topspin service.

However, everything changed when Gauff made a crucial adjustment in the third and final set, mixing in a rare serve-and-volley approach followed by three wide shots to Fernandez’s backhand side.

Due to the tactic’s unpredictability, Fernandez was caught off guard and was put on an isolated island in the remaining four games of the third set.

Fernandez attempted to claw her way back after holding a much-needed service game, but Gauff sealed the deal with back-to-back baseline winners to halt her run in the China Open.

In nearly two hours of action, Gauff amassed a total of 108 points, with 53 coming from the receiving end, including eight service break points.

Gauff scored four service aces but registered a lower first-serve winning percentage compared to her win against Rakhimova due to six double-fault errors.

With the win, Gauff formally entered the Round of 16 of the tournament and will face Belinda Bencic today at 11 a.m.