Gauff, after her tough victory against Fernandez: "I would have liked to be more aggressive at some moments"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 28 Sep 2025 | 16.30

Gauff, after her tough victory against Fernandez: "I would have liked to be more aggressive at some points." Photo: Getty Images

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Coco Gauff has yet to find her tennis form, but she is succeeding in advancing rounds at the WTA 1000 in Beijing. Currently, the number two seed is seeking match practice and victories to regain the confidence that seemed to have been lost during the North American hard court tour and now has two wins under her belt. She first defeated Kamilla Rakhimova in her debut (6-4, 6-0) and today she triumphed in a closely contested match against Leylah Fernandez (6-4, 4-6, 7-5). Now, she must recover after more than an hour and a half of battle as she faces Belinda Bencic in the round of 16.

Coco Gauff had already announced that she arrived at this WTA 1000 in Beijing with the intention of making it a sort of preseason for 2026. So she came to this Asian tour with a sense of accomplishment after winning Roland Garros, but also with the need to improve her feelings after forgettable grass and hard court tours. She is still aiming to raise her level, but is collecting valuable wins like the one achieved today against Leylah Fernandez. She spoke about her victory over the Canadian in the subsequent press conference.

An opponent who always poses challenges

"I played against Leylah earlier this year and knew that today was going to be a tougher match simply because I felt she was playing very well. She beat Maria with a good result. She won all matches in Washington DC. I knew I had to approach this match differently. I had to adapt. But I am happy to have advanced."

The pace of the court didn't help her

"The conditions were very slow, which I think suited her because she likes to hit the ball very early. So I felt my weight didn't help much since the balls were wearing out. I found that when I had new balls, I won two or three games in a row. I think the hardest part was dealing with the conditions and trying to feel that I could hit the ball, but today I couldn't do it as well as earlier this year."

A disconnect in the second set pushed the match to the third

"It was a very tight set. I think I had chances to break her serve at 2-2 or 3-2. I felt I became a bit too passive. Then in the last game, there were a couple of double faults. I don't even remember what happened. But she played well. She knew how the first set had gone, very tight. A couple of points don't go well for you and you lose the set. But yes, she played very good tennis."

She lacked aggression to seal the match earlier

"I felt I was being aggressive, hitting the ball well. She didn't give me many free points. Yes, I think I would have liked to be more aggressive at some moments. I noticed she increased her aggression in the second set. I think in that 3-2 game, in those break points, I should have placed the ball deeper and perhaps tried to make her open the court."

About the privilege of being an elite athlete

"I love sports. I think what I like most about being an athlete is precisely being able to travel around the world and experience different cultures. If it weren't for tennis, I don't think I could afford to travel to China economically. Undoubtedly, I would have wanted to come here. I am very grateful. I would say that Chinese fans are, by far, the friendliest on the whole circuit," says Coco Gauff, who step by step and victory by victory seeks to find her best version to finish 2025 on a high note.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Gauff, tras su dura victoria ante Fernandez: "Me hubiera gustado ser más agresiva en algunos momentos"