Coco Gauff has secured her spot in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the fourth straight year after a gutsy victory in the quarterfinals of the China Open.
The 21-year-old defending WTA Finals champion battled back from a set and a break down to defeat Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, officially becoming the third player to qualify for the year-end championships, joining Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.
Gauff called the win a “tough match” but said she was happy with how she fought.
The American world No. 3 has had a fantastic season, highlighted by her second career Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, where she finished a dominant clay-court swing with 17 wins in 19 matches.
Gauff now advances to the Beijing quarterfinals, where she will face Germany’s Eva Lys, who is making her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal appearance.
