The current title holder, Gauff, progressed through a third-round match filled with errors at the China Open, stating that she “did what was necessary to secure the win” against Fernandez.
Ultimately, she prevailed in a closely contested match decided over three sets – 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 – but issues with her serve, which caused the American second seed to become emotional at the US Open, cropped up again in Beijing.
The 21-year-old, a two-time Grand Slam victor, produced nine double faults and had her serve broken seven times during the match.
Both competitors experienced difficulties with their serves, resulting in a total of 15 breaks throughout the match, including eight in the deciding set – three on Gauff’s serve and five on Fernandez’s.
Gauff twice had the opportunity to serve for the match from a 5-2 lead, only to be broken on both occasions by the Canadian, ranked 25th in the world, but she regrouped at 5-5 to break back immediately and finally served out the match, clinching the victory on her second opportunity.
“It was a very demanding match physically, with both of us going back and forth,” Gauff commented during her on-court interview.
“Of course, in the third set I felt like I was performing at a good level. I am aware that I could have served with greater accuracy, but I accomplished what was required to win today.”
In related news, top-seeded Jannik Sinner is scheduled to face unseeded Hungarian player Fabian Marozsan in the quarter-finals of the men’s tournament in Beijing on Monday.
