"I feel less pressure because I have the defending champion status," says Gauff after her second-round victory in Beijing

Adrien Guyot

le 26/09/2025 à 13h46

2 min to read

Gauff Pékin

Coco Gauff started her WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing with a brilliant performance, defeating Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets. The world No. 3 discusses her relaxed approach to handling pressure.

Coco Gauff, the defending champion of the Beijing WTA 1000, kicked off her 2025 tournament perfectly in the Chinese capital. The American didn't waste any time against Kamilla Rakhimova (6-4, 6-0) and advanced to the third round where she will face Leylah Fernandez.

Ahead of this match against the Canadian, this season's Roland-Garros winner reflected on her return to a tournament where she has previously excelled.

"I feel less pressure because I have the defending champion status, for a reason I don't know. I'm not sure if it's because there are no more Grand Slam tournaments this year or because I'm already almost qualified for the WTA Finals, but something about all this takes the pressure off me.

When you play well in a place, you have a lot of confidence. Here, I know I play well, and I feel that confidence when I return to the same conditions as last year. I expected a very tough match, as it was the first one since the US Open.

She is an excellent player who has performed very well in recent tournaments, but I just found my rhythm and enjoyed it. At the beginning, I was a bit tense, but I managed to relax and I think it showed in the second set score.

I'm also very happy with my Chinese fans, who treat me very well every year and give me many gifts that I will keep forever," Gauff told Punto de Break.