Coco Gauff is back in Beijing, and if her opening match is any indication, she means business. After a shaky start that would have rattled a lesser player, the reigning champ flicked a switch, found her groove, and steamrolled Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 to march into the third round of the China Open.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Let’s be real, the opening service game was a nail-biter. Gauff looked a little tight, maybe feeling the pressure of defending 1,000 ranking points. She coughed up a couple of double faults and stared down four break points. You could almost hear a collective gasp from the crowd. But this is Coco Gauff we’re talking about. She dug in, saved them all, and let out a silent “not today.”

Gauff Finds Her Footing and Floors It

That early scare seemed to be t

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