Coco Gauff match halted as players storm towards the net in angry confrontation

Coco Gauff got into an ugly war of words as she battled from behind to beat Belinda Bencic at the China Open. The world No. 2 lost the first set 6-4, but dug in to clinch the second in a nerve-jangling tie-break. Moments earlier, Bencic accused Gauff's team of distraction tactics, insisting they were disrupting her rhythm with ill-timed cheering.

The match was briefly halted when, while preparing to serve, Bencic abruptly stormed to the net to have it out with her American opponent. "There's nobody in the stadium. It's been so respectful," the Swiss star shouted. "They can cheer after the point." The back-and-forth continued during the changeover, with Bencic venting her frustration to the chair umpire. "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," she complained.

Gauff, sitting just a few feet away, tried to interject, but Bencic quickly shut her down. "No one's talking to you," she snapped. "She [the umpire] is talking to me okay! Your team is chatting. I'm too old for these mind games, okay!"

The heated exchange, captured on video, appeared to rattle both players, but it was Bencic whose level dipped the most. She double-faulted on set point to surrender her lead and hurled her racket to the ground in anger.

Then, in the third, Gauff raced to a commanding lead with an early break, eventually winning the set 6-2 to book her spot in the quarter-finals. "It was a tough match," the Gauff admitted afterwards. "I had chances in the first to close it out, but I'm happy with how I fought. She was really aggressive."

The win not only secured Gauff a spot in the last eight, but also confirmed her qualification for the WTA Finals in Riyadh this November. In the next round, she'll face Germany's Eva Lys.

Gauff is the defending champion, having won the China Open in 2024. She knocked out the likes of Katie Boulter, Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa en route to beating Karolina Muchova in the final, and will be hoping for a similar run this year.

Her form has trailed off a little since winning the French Open, her second Grand Slam title, back in June. The Florida-born star was knocked out in the first round at Wimbledon, before being beaten in the fourth round at the US Open - the tournament she won in 2023.

The fiery clash with Bencic may serve as a timely spark for Gauff, who has admitted in recent weeks that she has been struggling to rediscover her best tennis. A deep run in Beijing could be just what she needs, and her composure in resetting after the heated exchange highlighted a growing maturity in navigating high-pressure moments.

With the 2026 season fast approaching, Gauff will need to channel that same resilience and focus if she is to stay at the top of the game - and perhaps add another Grand Slam title to her name.