2024 champion Gauff digs deep to win China Open opener

Coco Gauff was rattled. Then she rallied.

The American showed signs of frustration but found her focus when needed in a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 second-round win over Camila Osorio on Saturday.

“It was like a moment in the match I got really frustrated,” Gauff said after the 2-hour and 18- minute battle on Lotus Court. “I feel like Camila is that type of player who can really frustrate you. I was able to reset for the third set and was just able to forget about the second.”

Gauff is no stranger to the big stage, and this experience came to her advantage in the third set. 

Winning four games in a row and breaking Osorio twice, Gauff’s expertise came out in full force to gain a 4-1 lead. Despite a break from Osorio to bring the score to 4-2, Gauff maintained her composure and finished strong, firing a forehand on match point to seal the victory.

The No. 3 seed advanced to the third round of the China Open for the fourth consecutive year. The 2024 China Open champion will hope to make a deep run to secure her second WTA 1000 title of the year. She has yet to lose before the semifinals in Beijing. 

Gauff struggled at times with consistency throughout the first set, as she found herself down 0-30 in three of her service games and only won 41 percent of points on second serve. 

The American broke Osorio to take a 4-2 lead yet struggled under the pressure when serving out the set, double faulting on break point and allowing Osorio to break back.

The hard-fought first set eventually went to a tiebreaker. Gauff was able to come out clutch in key moments, and ended up capitalizing on a double fault from Osorio on set point to win the tiebreaker 7-4 and capture the first set. 

Gauff broke Osorio in the first game of the second set, despite the Colombian’s 40-0 lead. Osorio responded decisively, and an unlucky net cord miss from Gauff allowed Osorio to break back. 

Gauff displayed subtle signs of frustration, repeatedly gesturing toward her box after numerous unforced errors. Osorio overpowered the American throughout the set with an 80 percent-win rate on first serve, and a critical break at 5-4 led Osorio to force a final set. 

Yet Gauff’s mindset and ability to overcome adversity allowed her to ultimately secure the victory.

Osorio appeared to be dealing with low back pain throughout the second and third set, as the physio came out four times for treatment during changeovers. 

Gauff has had a busy schedule, with Saturday’s match being her 60th of the year. However, Gauff is excited for one last push in her 2026 season and is looking forward to ending her year off strong. 

Gauff is currently in fifth place in the Race to the WTA Finals. A triumphant Asian Swing could qualify the American to fight for a second WTA Finals title in Indian Wells. Gauff won the tournament in 2024 when it was hosted in Riyadh.

“I feel like this is the final push for the WTA Finals, the final push of the year,” she said. “Every match counts. Every match counts throughout the season, but even more so now, I feel like.”

By Maya Sabapathy