Gauff battles back to beat Fernandez in China open

Coco Gauff showed resilience and composure under pressure, overcoming a tough challenge from Leylah Fernandez to secure a spot in the third round at the China Open on Sunday, winning a thrilling three-set match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

The defending champion, and a crowd favorite in Beijing, recovered from a second-set stumble and struggled to serve out the match in the final set. Gauff finally broke Fernandez in the 12th game to clinch the win, keeping her WTA 1000 campaign alive.

Next, Gauff will face either No. 16 Belinda Bencic or Australian Priscilla Hon.

Sunday also saw other notable results. Eva Lys upset 10th-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, while American McCartney Kessler led Barbora Krejcikova 1-6, 7-5, 3-0 before Krejcikova retired.

On the men’s side, running alongside the WTA tournament as an ATP 500 event, Lorenzo Musetti won 6-3, 6-3 against Adrian Mannarino following his apology to Chinese fans. Learner Tien defeated Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-2 and will meet ninth-ranked Musetti in the quarterfinals. Third-ranked Alexander Zverev is set to face France’s Corentin Moutet in a night match later Sunday.

Gauff’s hard-fought victory highlights her rising stature in women’s tennis, while the China Open continues to deliver high-intensity matches across both draws.