American tennis sensation Coco Gauff stormed into the quarterfinals of the WTA Madrid Open on Monday, defeating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-2 in a thrilling encounter.
In their third meeting this season, the 19-year-old Gauff showcased her powerful forehand early on, seizing a 3-2 lead with a blistering winner. She soon broke Bencic’s serve to go up 4-2. Despite a spirited fightback from the Tokyo Olympics champion, who leveled the score at 4-4, Gauff held her nerve to clinch the first set 6-4.
Bencic, 26, battled to regain footing in the second set, landing an impressive overhead winner. However, Gauff’s relentless aggression saw her break Bencic’s serve once more, racing ahead to a commanding 4-1 lead after a stunning backhand winner.
The match concluded when Bencic sent a backhand long, sealing Gauff’s spot in the last eight for the first time at the Madrid Open. She is set to face Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the next round.
The post-match atmosphere took an unexpected turn when a widespread power outage hit the arena, interrupting Gauff’s on-court interview. Just as she was humorously recounting her breakfast of avocado toast and fruit, the stadium plunged into darkness. “Maybe I just need to like not get a lot of sleep,” Gauff quipped before the lights went out.
Due to the blackout affecting much of Spain, the remainder of Monday’s matches were postponed, with only three fixtures completed.
