Madrid Open 2025: Coco Gauff, Belinda Bencic Set For First Clay Clash
American Coco Gauff and Switzerland's Belinda Bencic will meet on clay for the first time on Monday when they face off in the Madrid Open's Round of 16 clash.
Gauff and Bencic have met four times in their careers, with all the meetings taking place on hard courts. They have won two matches each.
Tokyo Olympics champion Bencic defeated Gauff in their last meeting at Indian Wells in March, coming from a set down to knock her out in the Round of 16.
Gauff, who won her maiden major at the U.S. Open in 2023, beat Bencic at the same stage at this year's Australian Open, also recording a comeback victory.
They also met once in 2023 when Gauff won in straight sets in the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C. while Bencic triumphed during their semifinal meeting at the WTA 500 event in Adelaide in 2021.
As they prepare to meet for the third time in four months, Gauff is fancying her chances on the red dirt in Madrid.
'It will be an interesting one. I know she hits a little bit more flatter, and I hit heavier, so I would like to think it probably favors me a little bit more,' said Gauff, the fourth seed at the WTA 1000 tournament.
'But obviously she beat me last time at Indian Wells, and she's a tough opponent, so it's going to be a tough match.'
Gauff had a nervous start to her campaign when she found herself 6-0 down in the opening set against Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in her first match, but quickly recovered, recording a 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 win in the Round of 64.
The American then knocked out her compatriot Ann Li 6-2, 6-3 in the last-32 match on Saturday, needing just an hour and six minutes.
Gauff, a singles finalist at the 2022 French Open and doubles winner in 2024, said she had an unusual fan encounter in Madrid.
'I think like two years ago, she (a fan) asked me to sign her arm and she said she was going to get it tattooed and I didn't believe her. And then I saw her here and she actually got it tattooed, so that's pretty insane to me,' said Gauff in her on-court interview on Saturday.
'I think there's another person also that's got me tattooed, not in Madrid. So it's weird that two people have me on their body. But I love the Madrid fans, especially this tournament always brings out a lot of kids. I just like to play in front of everyone, but especially kids.'
Gauff's opponent, Bencic, reached the last-16 after surviving a mid-match wobble against 16th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, beating the Brazilian 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2).
The Swiss, who recorded straight-set victories in her first two matches, won the WTA 500 title in Abu Dhabi in February, less than 10 months after giving birth to her daughter Bella.
The Coco Gauff vs Belinda Bencic match will be played at Arantxa Sanchez Stadium at 11 a.m. local time/5 a.m. ET.
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Hamilton Spectator
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