Coco Gauff has entered an elite conversation with Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova after victory in China

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Coco Gauff navigated her way through a tricky contest at the China Open on Tuesday, defeating Canadian star Belinda Bencic 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

Gauff looked to be on the brink of defeat, down a set and a break against the Olympic gold medallist.

However, the American endeavoured, forcing her way back into the contest.

The 21-year-old claimed the second set on the tiebreak, before securing the third set in relatively comfortable fashion.

Consequently, Gauff has qualified for the WTA Finals, while also rivalling some of tennis’ greats.

Coco Gauff is the third-youngest player to reach 20 WTA 1000 quarter-finals

As per OptaAce, Coco Gauff has become the third-youngest player to reach 20 quarter-finals in Tier1/WTA-1000 events since the format’s introduction in 1990.

The only players who achieved the feat at a younger age were Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova.

Gauff will face German star Eva Lys in the China Open quarter-finals, after she defeated McCartney Kessler.

If Gauff wins her quarter-final contest, she will face one of Amanda Anisimova, Karolina Muchova, Jasmine Paolini, or Marie Bouzkova in the semi-finals.

If Gauff were to go on and win the China Open, it would mark a significant turnaround for the American after struggling for form throughout the latter half of 2025.

Regardless of form, Gauff demonstrated once again that she possesses a level of tenacity and perseverance unlike any other player on the WTA Tour.

Her ability to rescue herself from dire scenarios has been ever-present throughout her career so far, and will likely be a feature of her play for the foreseeable future.

Coco Gauff’s strong performance on first-serve

Gauff recently hired biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan after struggling with her serve throughout 2025.

Gauff’s work with MacMillan may be starting to pay off, after she registered an excellent performance on first-serve points during the contest against Bencic.

As per Sofascore, Gauff made 75 per cent of her first serves, winning 73 per cent of those points.

For all her superb play on first-serve points, Gauff again struggled to quell her second-serve troubles.

The 21-year-old won just 43 per cent of her second-serve points, registering eight double faults in the process.