Coco Gauff beats Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 6-0 in one hour and 43 minutes
Elena Rybakina overcomes stern test to defeat Caty McNally 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Jasmine Paolini ousts world number 221 Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-3
Coco Gauff will face Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the China Open after coming through some early pressure for a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova.
The reigning champion at the Beijing event triumphed 6-4 6-0 in one hour and 43 minutes, but her victory was not quite as straightforward as the scoreline suggested.
Rakhimova forced eight break points in the first set, split equally between games two and eight, but Gauff saved all of them while converting one of the four she generated.
The second set followed a very different script as Gauff broke to love in the first game, with that the first of three consecutive breaks to seal victory.
Having recorded her 11th win at the China Open, becoming the youngest player to reach that figure since the tournament's 2004 inception, 21-year-old Gauff will take on 2021 US Open runner-up Fernandez next.
The Canadian registered a dominant 6-2 6-0 victory over Maria Sakkari, while Paula Badosa was also a straight-sets winner against Antonia Ruzic.
Elena Rybakina overcame a stern test to beat Caty McNally 7-5 4-6 6-3, while Jasmine Paolini ousted world number 221 Anastasija Sevastova 6-1 6-3.
Data Debrief: Paolini proves age is just a number, Rybakina climbs the charts
Paolini's win was her 21st victory at WTA-1000 level events this calendar year, and at the age of 29 years and 264 days, she is the third-oldest player to achieve more than 20 in a season.
Serena Williams (in 2013, 2014 and 2015) and Li Na (2012) previously did so while older than Paolini.
Rybakina, meanwhile, now has the third-most victories at WTA events in 2025 (43), surpassing Jessica Pegula (42). Only Iga Swiatek (57) and Aryna Sabalenka (56) have more.
