Coco Gauff absorbed early pressure and responded with poise, advancing to the third round of the China Open with a 6-4, 6-0 win Friday over Kamilla Rakhimova.

Beijing: Scores | Draws | Order of play

The reigning champion saved eight break points in a tense first set before cruising through the second set in a match that lasted 1 hour and 43 minutes. It marked Gauff’s 11th career main- draw victory in Beijing.

She’ll face No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez next.

Fernandez joined Gauff at the “bagel party,” serving up one of her own in a commanding 6-2, 6-0 win over Maria Sakkari. The Canadian needed just 1 hour and 14 minutes to secure her first victory over the former top 10 player in four attempts.

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In her first meeting with Rakhimova, Gauff struggled early, committing two double faults and facing four break points in her opening service game. She held firm, then broke Rakhimova on her third opportunity later in the set with a blistering backhand down the line — one of many she hit throughout the match.

Her composure in key moments left her satisfied with her performance.

“I’m happy with how I played,” Gauff said after the match. “(Rakhimova) played well starting off, and I was just getting used to the conditions, but I thought it was a good match overall. I’m super happy to be back here in Beijing. Obviously, I had great memories last year, and I’m hoping to make some more good memories here.”

Gauff again faced four break points before closing out the first set in just under an hour. From there, she took control — breaking Rakhimova to open the second set and saving two break points on her own serve en route to a 2-0 lead.

In all, Gauff won the final seven games of the match, including the last game of the opening set, sealing victory with an ace.

The win continues a recent trend of success for Gauff in China. Since 2021, only Zheng Qinwen (16) and Katerina Siniakova (15) have more WTA-level victories on Chinese soil than Gauff (14).

Next up before facing Fernandez: a bit of self-care.

“I want to go shopping,” Gauff said. “So, I think we’re going to go to some of the malls here today.”

Fernandez finds her breakthrough

As the saying (almost) goes: fourth time’s the charm.

Fernandez finally broke through against Sakkari in their fourth meeting, and she did so in style. The Canadian broke in the opening game and never looked back, converting all five break points and dominating from start to finish.

She broke again to begin the second set and paired a near-flawless return game with sharp serving, winning 71% of her first-serve points and a staggering 61% on her second serve.

It was a clinical display from Fernandez, who now turns her attention to another opponent she has yet to beat in Gauff.

Gauff, Fernandez set for third-round clash

When Fernandez takes the court against Gauff, she’ll be seeking not only her first win against the American, but also her first set.

In two prior meetings — both this year — Gauff has won all four sets. Both victories occurred at big tournaments, with the first coming at the United Cup and the second at the Australian Open.

Barring any surprises, it will be the first time the two face off somewhere other than Australia.