Coco Gauff made a winning return to tennis, winning her first match at the 2024 China Open. But it wasn't easy, and she knew it would not be easy.
Gauff last played at the US Open, but she exited the event early due to not playing the way she could. It was a diametrically different situation to last year when she played some of the most stable tennis she had ever played, which allowed her to win her maiden Grand Slam trophy.
Her first event since then last year was the China Open, and she followed that schedule this year as well. The end result was a semi-final, and she's hoping to do that this year as well.
Her campaign started with a tricky match against Clara Burel, as she needed to dig deep to win, but she expected that. Burel is a tough player to play, and she was playing well in the opening set. Gauff knew that would happen, but once she survived that opening set, the American was able to win relatively easily.
After the match, she highlighted her approach to the match, which might have differed from her past matches, as she simply wanted to continue being aggressive, regardless of her success.
"Clara, she's tough to play. I played her at Indian Wells this year; it's a tough match but happy to get through. I think I stayed aggressive the whole match, even when I was making some mistakes."
"But I think this is the way I have to play, and I know as I continue to get more comfortable, that will get better."
Quite a few eyes are on Gauff this week in light of what happened since the US Open. She parted ways with Brad Gilbert and hired a new coach, Matt Dally, ahead of the WTA 1000 event in Beijing.
She even admitted that the rest of the year feels like early pre-season for her, which is a unique approach. It might be a way for her to tone down the expectations, but that's not easy to do.
As one of the best players in the world who lost surprisingly early at a major, she will want to have a strong bounce-back. It won't get any easier for Gauff because the next match will see her play against Katie Boulter.
Boulter has been strong this year with some amazing tennis at times. Gauff knows that very well and ahead of the matchup even confirmed that the Brit has played some amazing tennis.
"I think [Boulter's] been a completely new player this year. She's playing some great tennis, so it's going to be a tough match. I'll just try to stay solid the whole time."
It's an interesting matchup, but Gauff is expected to win even though her level has been inconsistent for a long time. After disappointment at the US Open, a good run in Beijing would certainly boost her hopes of finishing the year strongly.