Coco Gauff couldn’t overcome too strong Belinda Bencic in the fourth round of the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
This was undoubtedly one of the most expected fourth-round matches at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells. Gauff is obviously one of the most exciting players on the WTA Tour, while Bencic has been just phenomenal since returning as a mother.
Both also had to overcome some challenges on the way to the fourth round. While Bencic had to battle past Amanda Anisimova, Gauff couldn’t close out her match against Moyuka Uchijima, complicating it late in the third set.
In the past, the two met three times, with Gauff winning in two of their meetings, including at this year’s Australian Open. But Bencic arrived in Indian Wells in even better form than at the start of the year.
But despite her good form, the Swiss player couldn’t be very dangerous for her opponent early in this match. Gauff was the better player, which is why she broke and led 2-0. But the 20-year-old couldn’t maintain her one-break advantage.
It was 2-2 after four games played, and after a challenging hold, Gauff made it 3-2. Each of the following three games then had to be decided through a deuce, and the American player handled those moments better.
She broke Bencic’s serve and held her own to lead 5-2. Both players then held their serve, but since the Swiss player was down by a break, nothing could stop Gauff from winning the first set of this match 6-3.
Down a set, Bencic had nothing to lose, and she played like it at the start of the second set. The Swiss player broke first and avoided facing any break point in the remainder of the set to win it 6-3.
With the score tied, there was a lot to play for in the third set, and neither player wanted to make a mistake. Both held their serve without facing any break points, and at 4-4, it seemed that a tie-break was inevitable.
Gauff led 40-0 on her serve, cruising like in all of the previous games on her serve. But suddenly, the American player lost four points in a row and faced a break point.
Although the 2023 US Open champion saved the first break point, she couldn’t save the second one, and she once again found herself a break down.
Bencic then held her serve to win the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, eliminating the third-seeded player in the fourth round of the tournament. The Swiss player will now prepare for her quarter-final match against Madison Keys or Donna Vekic.
Gauff, on the other hand, will want to forget this loss and prepare well for the Miami Open, which is the next tournament for her and the rest of the Tour.
