Coco Gauff showcased her resilience and skill at the Australian Open, rallying from a set down to defeat Belinda Bencic with a score of 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday. This victory propels Gauff into the quarterfinals, extending her winning streak to nine matches since the start of the season.
Despite facing Belinda Bencic, who had recently returned to the tour and was ranked 294th, Gauff remained undeterred. Bencic, a Swiss player who had previously won seven of her last eight meetings against major champions, started strong by taking the first set under the bright sunshine of Rod Laver Arena.
The World No. 3 Gauff, who had not dropped a set in 2025 prior to this match, responded fiercely in the second set. Her aggressive shot-making and determination allowed her to level the contest at 1-1, setting the stage for a decisive final set.
In the deciding set, Gauff capitalized on a shaky start by Bencic, quickly taking a 3-1 lead. Despite some challenges, including two instances where a net cord disrupted Bencic's shots, Gauff maintained her momentum. The Swiss player struggled with bad luck, and Gauff sealed her victory by winning the last three games, securing her place in the quarterfinals where she will face Spain's Paula Badosa.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff said, \"I thought in the first set she played great tennis, it was tough for me to be more on offence. Overall I'm happy with how I played, the first set could have gone my way with a few more points, and I played more aggressively in the second set, then reset to play my best in the third.\"
While Gauff celebrated her advancement, she acknowledged areas for improvement, noting her nine double faults and a 40 percent success rate on her second serve. Determined to continue her strong performance, she remarked, \"We worked very hard in the offseason, obviously there's still a lot for me to go to accomplish my goal. Maybe a couple of years ago, if I lost the first set I might lose the match, and I remember my dad said, 'we've got to toughen you up.' I was just trying to put myself in the position where I could leave the court and feel proud of myself.\"
In other matches, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus convincingly defeated Mirra Andreeva of Russia 6-1, 6-2, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova overcame Donna Vekic of Croatia with a score of 7-6(0), 6-0, setting up an exciting next round.
Reference(s):
Gauff passes Bencic test to advance to last eight at Australian Open
cgtn.com
