Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 to reach the China Open quarterfinals. Gauff broke early in the third set and maintained momentum to secure the victory when Bencic returned into the net. The match featured tension and a verbal exchange during a changeover, with Bencic complaining about her team and both players showing visible frustration. Gauff won the second-set tiebreak after Bencic double-faulted on set point. With the win Gauff qualified for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia and will face either Eva Lys or McCartney Kessler next.
"It was a tough match, Gauff said after her fourth-round match against Bencic on Tuesday. I had chances in the first to close it out but overall I'm happy with how I fought. She was being really aggressive. There were frustrations on both sides of the court at a largely empty stadium as the players switched between one half darkened by shade and the other in the blazing sun."
"There was a flashpoint between the two players during a changeover in the second set when Switzerland's 15th seed Bencic said: Your team is chatting. I'm too old for these mind games, okay? You're the one playing the mind games, Gauff, the second seed, shot back. The 21-year-old Gauff kept it together to win the tiebreak when Tokyo Olympic champion Bencic double-faulted on set point and threw her racquet in anger."
"The world number three Gauff broke early in the third set and carried that momentum through to win when a flagging Bencic returned into the net. With her last-16 victory, Gauff qualified for the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia in November. Happy to qualify once again. Happy to be back in Riyadh and I'm glad I was able to do it here, Gauff told the on-court interviewer. It's been a tough tournament so far, but I'm happy to get through."
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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