Coco Gauff is loving her time at the China Open despite suffering a scare in the round of 32 in Beijing.
The World No. 3 defeated Leylah Fernandez in a three-hour-plus clash in which she failed to dismiss fears about her serve.
Fernandez could and should have won the match in the decider, but Gauff managed to secure the win at the China Open.
Gauff might have questioned the China Open conditions, but she’s loved her interactions with the Chinese fans.
Coco Gauff has been overwhelmed with gifts at the China Open
Gauff is one of the most popular stars in tennis and she’s been treated like a superstar during her time in Beijing.
“I will say the Chinese fans have been the nicest fans on tour by far,” said Gauff after confirming her place in the round of 16 at the China Open.
“Just the gifts and everything. I’m going to post a picture at the end of this tournament of all the gifts. It’s more gifts than I’ve gotten on Christmas, and I was a pretty spoiled kid (smiling). It’s just insane,” she added.
The star said the level of care that she’s seen with the gifts has truly shocked her following her win over Fernandez.
“Every time someone gives me a gift, it’s so personalized,” the World No. 3 shared. “You can tell they’ve been thinking about this thing or got something made for a couple weeks before I came here.”
“It makes me want to come to this tournament because I don’t want someone to make something for me and I don’t show up.
“I don’t know if I’ll get as many gifts elsewhere in the world,” she added. “I hope the western side of the world can be as nice as the Chinese fans are with the gift giving because I love gifts.”
“I love being spoiled. I like receiving things. It’s fun. Yeah, I love it here. And I love my life that I live, for sure.”
Gauff beat Kamilla Rakhimova in her opening round match and she’ll play Belinda Bencic in the fourth round.
Coco Gauff reaches new landmark at the China Open
The American’s win over Fernandez at the China Open marked her 150th WTA-level victory on a hard court, which has earned the star a new record.
Gauff is now the youngest player to achieve the feat on hard courts, taking the record from Caroline Wozniacki.
Wozniacki was also 21 years old when she achieved the feat, but the American is just months older than the Dane.
Gauff has been playing WTA matches since the age of 15, making her debut at the 2019 Miami Open against Caty McNally.
