Coco Gauff says what is so tough about playing Leylah Fernandez after knocking her out of the China Open

Coco Gauff came through a tricky match with Leylah Fernandez to make the last 16 at the China Open.

The American player is looking to get back on track after a pretty underwhelming US Open campaign.

Gauff was critiqued for one aspect of her game at Flushing Meadows, and the fourth-round defeat to Naomi Osaka offered more questions than answers.

Gauff admits to using the China Open as a practice tournament, and after beating Leylah Fernandez, it’s clear that she does enjoy the competition.

Coco Gauff makes Leylah Fernandez claim

Gauff didn’t play amazing tennis against Fernandez, but she did get the job done and progress into the last 16.

After the match, she was quizzed on playing Fernandez and delivered an insight into just how tough it is to play against the Canadian performer.

She said in her press conference: “Yeah, I mean, the conditions were so slow, which I feel like she does well with that because she likes to take the ball so early. So I felt like my heaviness wasn’t doing a lot with her, like, as the balls got older.

“I found that when I had new balls, I would win like two or three games in a row. I think the toughest part was just dealing with the conditions and trying to feel like I could hit through her, but I couldn’t do that as well today as I felt like I did earlier this year.

“Yeah, I played Leylah earlier this year and I knew it was going to be a tougher match today just because I felt like she was playing some good tennis. She beat Maria, like, in a good score. All the matches she won in DC. I knew she would approach this match differently. I had to adjust. But I’m happy to get through.”

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Gauff has serious problem to solve

Although Gauff won the French Open in 2025, there are still some real concerns over the number of double faults she produces in games.

Despite winning in three sets, Gauff still managed six double faults against Fernandez, and the service game remains an Achilles heel for the American.

At 21, she’s got bags of potential and is clearly an amazing player, but this situation could stop her from dominating tournaments like Aryna Sabalenka does at the moment.

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