“Congratulations @carlitosalcarazz amazing comeback!! We ran back Beijing,” Coco Gauff had cheered months ago after Carlos Alcaraz defended his French Open crown against Jannik Sinner, while she herself claimed the title on Parisian clay for the first time. Yet one might wonder, how did Beijing factor into Paris? The answer lies in last year’s China Open , where both stars won on the China Open. But tennis stories rarely stay confined to the court. In China, a land steeped in heritage, Coco now playfully teases Alcaraz for his off-court blunder at last year’s tournament, proving that rivalries, and humor, travel with them.

At the pre-match press conference ahead of this year’s China Open, Coco Gauff was asked about her remark that most of her memories from last year’s trip were

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