Coco Gauff arrives at the China Open with a familiar record in Beijing and a deliberately low-pressure approach, saying the Asian swing is giving her room to sharpen parts of her game for 2027.
Key takeaways
- Gauff has reached at least the semifinals in each of her three China Open appearances, including her 2024 title run.
- The American is seeded third in Beijing following Jessica Pegula’s withdrawal.
- She will open her campaign in the second round against either Camila Osorio or Lanlana Tararudee.
- Gauff is fifth in the WTA Finals qualification race and will defend her Wuhan title later this swing.
- Her stated priorities are greater attacking intent and a higher first-serve percentage.
A productive Beijing return without added expectations
For Gauff, Beijing has become one of the most reliable stops on the WTA calendar. Across her three previous visits, she has lifted the trophy once and made the last four twice, with the 2024 championship sitting between two semifinal appearances.
Yet the 2026 season’s closing stretch begins for her without a target result in mind. Speaking before the tournament, Gauff said she has never arrived in the Chinese capital with a firm expectation, even if the conditions have repeatedly brought out her best tennis.
“Honestly, I have no expectations this week,” Gauff said. “I don’t know why I always play well here. I always come into this event with no expectations, and maybe that is why it has gone well for me.”
With the Grand Slam season complete, the former Beijing champion views the remaining weeks in China as an opportunity to train and compete with less external pressure. Her focus is on making improvements that can carry into the 2027 campaign rather than treating every match as a referendum on the season.
“I feel like a lot of the pressure is off,” she said. “That may be part of why I play better during this part of the year, because I am more relaxed. With the Slams finished, there is much less chaos.”
Serve numbers and the road through the draw
Gauff’s technical emphasis is clear: she wants to take more initiative from the baseline while increasing the frequency of first serves. Over 59 matches this season, she has put 62.5% of first deliveries in play and won 68.4% of the points behind them.
She has also held serve in 468 of 663 service games, a rate of 70.6%. Those figures broadly mirror her 2025 return, but Gauff wants to improve the foundation of her service game before the next season begins.
“I want to go for my shots a little more and try to be more aggressive,” Gauff said. “I win a lot of points when the first serve goes in, so I am trying to raise the number of first serves I make. Those are the main things, without saying too much.”
Her position in the Beijing draw leaves her with an opening-round bye as the No. 3 seed. Osorio and Tararudee will decide who faces Gauff in the second round.
There remains significant ranking business for the American beyond Beijing. She is currently No. 5 in the race for the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, while Wuhan offers another major opportunity as she returns as defending champion. The next two tournaments will therefore combine long-term development with a meaningful push toward the season-ending field.
