Coco Gauff Reaches Third Round at China Open with Tough Win

BEIJING (AP) — Coco Gauff battled to a victory against Leylah Fernandez, winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a tightly contested match at the China Open on Sunday. The defending champion faced challenges but advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000-series tournament.

Gauff struggled in the second set but regained her focus in the decisive third set. After a tense back-and-forth, she ultimately broke Fernandez in the 12th game to clinch the match. “I knew it would be tough,” Gauff said. “Leylah is a great player, and I had to stay patient.”

Next, Gauff will face either No. 16 Belinda Bencic or Australian Priscilla Hon. In other matches, Eva Lys defeated No. 10 Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-4. American McCartney Kessler was leading Barbora Krejcikova 1-6, 7-5, 3-0 when Krejcikova retired from the match.

The China Open runs alongside an ATP 500 men’s tournament. Second-seeded Alexander Zverev overcame a break deficit to win 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 against 37th-ranked Corentin Moutet, setting up a quarterfinal match against Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-3.

Lorenzo Musetti, fresh off his recent success, achieved a straight-sets victory over veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-3, 6-3. Learner Tien also advanced, beating Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 to face Musetti in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, at the Japan Open, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4, marking his 65th match win this season, tying his personal best. “It’s special because it’s the first time I am playing here in Japan,” said the 22-year-old. Alcaraz will play Casper Ruud next, who won against Aleksandar Vukic 6-3, 6-2.