World No. 4 Coco Gauff enjoyed a much smoother day at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday, April 26, easily advancing to the fourth round.
The 21-year-old American had struggled in her opening match, needing three tough sets to get past Dayana Yastremska. But against fellow American Ann Li, Gauff was in full control, winning 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour.
With the win, Gauff matches her best result at the Madrid Open, having also reached the fourth round in 2022 and 2023.
Next, Gauff will face Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic. Bencic survived a marathon match earlier on Saturday, battling for more than three hours to defeat Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), after trailing 1-4 in the final set.
Gauff started her match after Bencic, but finished well before her next opponent. Speaking after her win, Gauff said, “I played better today. [I was] more comfortable and trying to be more aggressive but playing with margin.”
Gauff hit 10 winners and won 73 percent of her first serve points in her strong performance.
Looking ahead, Gauff could be on a collision course with rising 17-year-old star Mirra Andreeva. Both players are seeded to potentially meet in the quarterfinals. They share the bottom half of the draw with world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, the reigning Madrid champion.
Gauff and Bencic have met four times before, splitting their matches. In 2025 alone, they have faced off twice: Gauff won at the Australian Open, while Bencic claimed victory at Indian Wells.
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