MATCH REPORT | China Open 2024: Coco Gauff returns to winning ways

Coco Gauff defeated Clara Burel 7:5, 6:3 at the China Open in Beijing on Friday evening and reached the third round.

It is a time of change for Gauff, who recently secured the services of a new coach after parting ways with Brad Gilbert, although Jean-Christophe Faurel is still a constant in her process.

But it was a good start for Gauff under her new coach. Matt Daly is Gauff’s new coach, having previously worked with Denis Shapovalov. The American spoke of her desire to improve her serve after parting ways with Gilbert.

But as always with Gauff, the proof will come in the later rounds, as Gauff tends to be quick in her first matches at tournaments before faltering in the home stretch.

In the round of 32, Gauff will face number 26 seed Katie Boulter on Sunday. Boulter defeated Taylor Townsend 6-4, 6-4 on Friday. It’s a split head-to-head between the two, with Boulter winning in three sets in Melbourne in 2021. Gauff won the WTA 1000 Montreal in three sets last year.

For Gauff, the party was a little more straightforward than previous encounters with Burel, who has proven to be something of a pain in the ass for her game. She pushed Gauff all the way to the third-set tiebreaker before the American claimed victory in Indian Wells.

But China is a very different ballpark, with many of the top names in both the men’s and women’s races struggling to pick up victories. For example, Emma Navarro, who defeated Gauff in New York, lost today to Shuai Zhang and the seeded players didn’t have it easy either. But on a late night show, Gauff delivered the goods.