Coco Gauff had to dig deep to beat Belinda Bencic but also overcome a very tense moment with the Swiss before completing a 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-2 comeback win to progress into the Beijing quarterfinal.
After recovering from an early break down in the first set, Bencic put herself in a strong position to win after claiming a break in the seventh game of the second set and going 7-6 (4) 4-3 up. On the brink of a loss, Gauff refused to quit as she managed to get the break back in the eighth game - and ultimately force a tie-break - in which she was 3-4 down before impressively winning the next four points to send the match into a third set.
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Bencic never recovered from losing the second set as Gauff earned two breaks in the decider to routinely complete her comeback.
In the Beijing quarterfinal, the second-seeded American will take on Eva Lys.
Gauff and Bencic had a tense moment
During the second set, Bencic accused the two-time Grand Slam champion of playing "mind games" and trying to disrupt her.
When Im going to the line ready to serve, they dont need to cheer," the Swiss told the chair umpire, before telling her rival: "No ones talking to you. Shes talking to me, okay! Im too old for these mind games!
Meanwhile, Gauff acknowledged that she didn't have an easy day at the office.
It was a tough match. I had chances in the first set to close it out, but overall, Im happy with how I fought. She was being really aggressive, but I tried my bestIm happy to be back in Riyadh and Im glad I was able to (qualify) here," the American reflected following her win.
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Last year, Gauff won her maiden title at the China Open. Now, she is three wins away from collecting back-to-back Beijing titles.
