Coco Gauff advanced to the fourth round of the China Open after a challenging win over Leylah Fernandez.
She is hoping to find her form again following a disappointing run at the US Open.
Gauff’s performance at Flushing Meadows drew criticism, particularly in her serve, and her fourth-round exit to Naomi Osaka did not help quieten those concerns.
The 21-year-old has acknowledged that she is treating the China Open as an opportunity to work on her game, and she seemed to appreciate the competitive environment following her win over Fernandez.
Coco Gauff comments on facing Leylah Fernandez after China Open win
Gauff may not have played her best tennis against Fernandez, but she did enough to move into the last 16.
Speaking after the match, the American star spoke about what it is like to go up against Fernandez and shared her thoughts on why the Canadian is such a difficult opponent.
“Yeah, I mean, the conditions were so slow, which I feel like she does well with that because she likes to take the ball so early. So I felt like my heaviness wasn’t doing a lot with her, like, as the balls got older,” she began by saying.
“I found that when I had new balls, I would win like two or three games in a row. I think the toughest part was just dealing with the conditions and trying to feel like I could hit through her, but I couldn’t do that as well today as I felt like I did earlier this year.
“Yeah, I played Leylah earlier this year and I knew it was going to be a tougher match today just because I felt like she was playing some good tennis. She beat Maria [Sakkari], like in a good score. All the matches she won in DC. I knew she would approach this match differently. I had to adjust. But I’m happy to get through.”
Gauff faces double-fault challenge
While Gauff did win the French Open in 2025, her struggles with double faults have not gone away. It is an issue that continues to surface in her game.
Even in her three-set victory over Fernandez, Gauff hit six double faults. Her serve remains a weakness that opponents can target.
She is only 21 and clearly has loads of talent, but if she does not address this area, it could prevent her from consistently controlling tournaments the way Aryna Sabalenka does now.
With the WTA Finals coming up, Gauff will be hoping to get more matches under her belt and keep working on improving her serve.
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