“Just trying to stick through those tough moments and get better through them,” said Coco Gauff in a conversation with the Roland Garros website on the eve of her 21st birthday. Earlier this season, Gauff suffered a painful defeat at the hands of Belinda Bencic in Indian Wells. She looked to avenge that loss in their next meet in Madrid, which she did. Now, destiny had them pitted against each other one more time. In Beijing, the battle between Gauff and Bencic turned up a notch in intensity on Diamond Court, not by virtue of outcome but because of one heated exchange.
After Bencic snatched the first set in the R16 against Gauff, the second set saw unexpected drama. Just when the score reached 2-3, the Swiss pro became annoyed on the court. Apparently, she had a problem with a random person in the crowd who was cheering for her opponent. To this, Gauff clarified to her, saying, “There’s nobody in the stadium. It’s been so respectful.” However, Bencic shot right back, “They can cheer after the point”.
She seemed further riled up, “When the point is over, it’s no problem, I don’t care. But when I’m going to the line ready to serve, they don’t need to cheer.” The war of words continued as Gauff responded next, to which Bencic’s anger got the best of her, “No one’s talking to you. She’s talking to me, okay! Your team is chatting. I’m too old for these mind games okay!”
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