Coco Gauff survives Fernandez challenge to keep China Open defense alive

Coco Gauff’s China Open title defense is still alive, but only after she clawed her way through a dramatic third-round battle against Canada’s Leylah Annie Fernandez in Beijing Sunday.

Gauff — the No. 2 seed — needed every ounce of grit to withstand the Canadian’s spirited challenge, eventually prevailing 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a match that lasted two hours and 45 minutes.

The American had never lost a set to Fernandez until now. This time, however, the Laval, Quebec native, turned the script on its head and unleashed some relentless and front-foot tennis that forced the defending champion to dig deep and look for answers.

What followed was a contest of lung-busting rallies, heavy counterpunching, and wild momentum swings.

Gauff appeared to have the match in hand on several occasions. She led by a set and a break, and then later built a 5-2 advantage in the deciding set with a match point in hand. But Fernandez, refusing to yield, reeled her back in with fearless shot-making and ferocious defense.

The third set alone featured eight service breaks — three on Gauff’s side and five on Fernandez’s — as both players struggled to hold their own under pressure from the other.

At 5-5 in the decider, it was Gauff who found the final push when Fernandez netted a forehand on the fourth break point of the game. The American seized the opportunity and did not let it slip away.

“She definitely played great tennis,” Gauff said afterward. “I thought she was being aggressive, striking the ball pretty well. She wasn’t really giving me much free points either. I wish I was more aggressive in some moments. I could tell she stepped up the aggressiveness in the second. I think in that 3-2 game on those break points, I should have put the ball deeper and maybe tried to get her to open up the court.

For Fernandez, the result will surely sting. However, her performance was another reminder of her ability to trouble the game’s best when she’s in form and is striking the ball cleanly and confidently.

For Coco Gauff, it was a reminder that a title defense sometimes requires surviving and not shining.

The 21-year-old will now turn her attention to the fourth round where she will face World No. 15 Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who rallied past Priscilla Hon 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.