US's Coco Gauff reacts after winning a point against to Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova during their women's single match at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing on Friday. — AFP BEIJING, Sept 26 (AFP): Coco Gauff brushed aside Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 on Friday to secure a spot in the last 32 as she bids for a repeat China Open crown.
The world number three from the United States will next face Canada's Leylah Fernandez, who triumphed 6-2, 6-0 over Greece's Maria Sakkari in Beijing.
"I think the mindset is a little bit different just because when you play well at a place, you have a lot of confidence," Gauff said after the match.
"When those tough moments happen, you feel the familiarity of the conditions from the years before that," she said.
The defending Beijing champion powered through a few drawn-out games to take down the 89th-ranked Russian in her first appearance since the US Open.
An energised Gauff broke early in the second set and worked hard to save break points over the frustrated but defiant 24-year-old Rakhimova to close out the match without trouble.
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