Defending champion Gauff got here via an error-strewn third-round match on the China Open, saying “I did what I wanted to do to win” in opposition to Fernandez.
She finally gained a decent encounter in three units – 6-4 4-6 7-5 – however the issues along with her serve that introduced the American second seed to tears on the US Open resurfaced in Beijing.
The 21-year-old two-time Grand Slam champion served 9 double faults and was damaged seven instances within the match.
Each gamers struggled with their serve, with 15 breaks in complete all through, together with eight within the ultimate set – three on Gauff’s serve and 5 on Fernandez’s.
Gauff served twice for the match from 5-2 up, solely to be damaged on each events by the Canadian world quantity 25, however she gathered herself at 5-5 to interrupt straight again and at last served out the match, sealing victory on her second match level.
“It was very bodily, we have been going forwards and backwards,” Gauff stated in her on-court interview.
“Clearly the third set I used to be enjoying fairly properly. I do know I may have served a little bit bit higher, however I did what I wanted to do to win immediately.”
In the meantime, prime seed Jannik Sinner will play unseeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan within the quarter-finals of the lads’s occasion in Beijing on Monday.
