Coco Gauff Reaches China Open Quarterfinals, Secures WTA Finals Spot

Coco Gauff secured a hard-fought victory over Belinda Bencic at the China Open, winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 to advance to the quarterfinals and qualify for the WTA Finals in Riyadh. Despite losing the first set and facing tense moments—such as Bencic's frustration and racquet-throwing after a double fault in the second-set tiebreak—Gauff maintained her composure, clinching the crucial tiebreak and breaking serve early in the decider. This win marked Gauff's ninth consecutive victory at the China Open and made her the third youngest player since 1990 to reach 20 quarter-finals at Tier 1/WTA-1000 events, joining Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova. Gauff has also achieved her 150th career hard-court win, the youngest to do so since Caroline Wozniacki in 2011, and extended her head-to-head lead over Bencic to 4-2. She will face either Germany's Eva Lys or American McCartney Kessler next, as she seeks to continue her strong run in the tournament. Gauff expressed satisfaction with her resilience and form, highlighting her joy at qualifying for the WTA Finals for the third or fourth consecutive year.