Defending champion Coco Gauff opened her China Open title defense with a loss of just four games. Playing a vigorous match in the heat of the day on Friday, Gauff defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 on the Diamond Court in Round 2.
The players held serve until No. 2 seed Gauff pulled ahead 4-3 by breaking serve in Game 7 and building an unassailable 5-3 lead. The second set started out less certain, as Games 2 and 3 saw multiple deuces. Gauff won both games but felt the challenge.
“I felt like she [Rakhimova] was getting a lot of balls back. Balls that I thought would be winners, I had to keep hitting it over and over.” Gauff said after the match. “I was just trying to stay solid and make her run.”
Gauff was able to swiftly win the next three games and the match. She had to adjust multiple times to secure the win, switching from shots right on the baseline to hits barely making it over the net.
“I think I just found my rhythm and got in a flow.” Gauff said. “I was a little bit tight, I think. I was able to loosen up and I think that showed in the score.”
Since having double fault troubles in the U.S. Open, Gauff has been training with new coach, Gavin MacMillan, to address her serving issue. In this match she had only three double faults in the first set and one in the second set.
Gauff will play No. 25 seed Leylah Fernandez in Round 3.
—Reporting by Rebecca Jackson
Rybakina makes it past McNally in tough Round 2 match
Along with two-time Slam champion Gauff, three additional major winners advanced to the third round on Friday. No. 8 seed and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina struggled through a three-set match to defeat American Caty McNally 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the second round.
The World No. 10 player from Kazakhstan won the first game at love with shots that No. 90 McNally could barely get a racket on. She found her footing and broke serve in the third game, but then lost to Rybakina through deuces in Games 4 and 5. With a few well-timed shots McNally brought the count to 5-3 and was in position to take the set. However, she grappled with forced errors and a crowd cheering for her opponent as Rybakina dominated the rest of the set.
Rybakina opened the second set by leaning into her forehand strength, with winners and aces – some up to 118 mph -- appearing in almost every game. But McNally held serve through the powerful shots and broke serve in Game 9 when Rybakina surrendered the deuce with a double fault and unforced error. With McNally ahead 5-4, a medical team was called to the court to treat Rybakina for a shoulder issue. When play resumed, McNally racked up points in quick succession to finish the set.
Rybakina exited the court briefly before the decisive set and started strong. She broke serve in Game 2 as McNally folded under the pressure, sending two balls out-of-bounds and another into the net. After another shaky game, McNally won Game 4 at love. The set remained tight as each player held serve and Rybakina won the match.
Rybakina will go on to play Eva Lys of Germany in the third round.
— Reporting by Mia Fleischer
Krejcikova defeats No. 9 seed Alexandrova
Two-time Grand Slam winner Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia got her ticket to Round 3 with a win over No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-5, 6-2 on Friday, Sept. 26, on the Moon Court. The win evens her record against Alexandrova to 3-3.
In the first set, Krejcikova and Alexandrova exchanged service breaks in Games 7 and 10, but three double faults opened the window for Krejcikova to break serve again in Game 11. Krejcikova then held serve in Game 12 to win the set. In the second set Krejcikova broke Alexandrova’s serve two more times and held her own serve to win the match. Well-placed shots opened up the court for Krejcikova and her accurate up-the-line winners paired with her aggressive play at the net factored into her win. She also took advantage of her opponent’s mistakes while limiting her own faults.
The former World No. 2 won singles Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2024 and Roland Garros in 2021 and boasts a career Grand Slam in doubles with 7 total doubles titles. She will face American McCartney Kessler for the first time in the third round.
–Reporting by Dane Vogel
Hon stuns 2017 Roland Garros champion Ostapenko
Australia's Priscilla Hon's breakthrough week continued with the World No. 108 easing past No. 22 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 in the second round. Hon came into Beijing having never won a WTA 1000 main draw match. After successfully navigating through qualifying, she earned her first WTA 1000 victory in the first round with a gritty three-set win over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic.
Hon enjoyed an easier duel on Friday to earn her second Top 25 win of the year and second career-win over a Grand Slam champion. Her first came against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in 2022. Facing down the big-hitting Latvian, Hon proved battle-tested, as she converted two of her four break points, while Ostapenko squandered six of her seven opportunities.
Hon will face Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in the third round.
2020 Australian Open champion Kenin sets up Paolini showdown
No. 27 seed Sofia Kenin advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 6-2 win over World No. 76 Polina Kudermetova. The former World No. 4 reached a career-best Beijing result in 2019 when she advanced to the Round of 16.
As she looks to match that result, Kenin will face No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini in the third round. It will be a stiff challenge for the American. Kenin has not defeated a Top 8 player since her Australian Open title run five years ago, where she stunned then No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. However, she has won all three matches played against the Paolini, including a 6-4, 6-0 win in February to end the Italian's title defense at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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