Coco Gauff was at the centre of drama at the China Open after her tense exchange with Belinda Bencic.
Gauff and Bencic had a dispute in the second set, with the latter seemingly annoyed by the timing of the crowd’s support towards her opponent.
This conflict continued after the match, with Gauff also annoyed by what Bencic had said to her team.
There has been a big reaction to this exchange, with former doubles world number one Rennae Stubbs now having her say.
Photo by Fred Lee/Getty ImagesRennae Stubbs gives her verdict on the drama between Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic
Bencic found herself a set and a break up before the drama with Gauff concluded, but then lost the match 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2.
Looking back in hindsight, it is now thought that Bencic made a mistake to do this against Gauff, something that Stubbs appears to agree with.
When speaking about the situation on her podcast, Serena Williams’ former coach Stubbs praised Gauff for how she reacted after the incident took place and called her one of the ‘most respected players on tour’.
“Can I just say, in the middle of that match, the reason that I think Coco found her was because Belinda Bencic decided to complain about Coco’s team and how they were clapping and saying stuff before she was about to serve and she took offence to it,” said Stubbs.
“There was like 12 people in the stands and even Coco said that on the changeover. She was like there was nobody in the stands, so of course they sound a lot louder than they would if it’s a packed stadium, because everybody would be talking.
“But because there was not a lot of people in the stands they became a bit more vocal and Belinda took offence to it and said something to the umpire.
“I can tell you one thing. If you are winning a match and you are in a winning position, which Bencic was at that point, you just have to go and play. You don’t want to add fuel to somebody’s fire, particularly someone like Coco, to get her in the mood to fight and battle like she did in that second set.
“It’s just crazy that these players lose their minds like that because it’s like what I used to say when people would play against Serena, it’s like don’t poke the bear. When you give a player something to focus on, I’m sure Coco was in her own head at that point, but then she’s like now you are disrespecting me and my team, I am going to focus.
“So I would just say that anyone who is playing against a top player, don’t poke the bear, and don’t poke Coco Gauff because she is usually one of the most respected players on tour and she won’t stand for it. And she will stand up for herself and her team, so I think that was well done by her.”
There has unsurprisingly been a big reaction to this incident, with there being various opinions on whether Bencic was right to be frustrated with the crowd and Gauff’s team.
However, the overriding theme of the reaction to this fallout agrees with what Stubbs has said, telling Bencic that she ruined her chances of winning the match by inciting this conflict.
One person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “If she didn’t complain she would have won this match. I cant with her, she really should have won here…”
Another person echoed the same sentiment, “She should’ve focused more on actual holding leads in the second set instead of complaining.”
“Bencic has a crashout when leading the match vs Gauff up a set & a break. 1. Perils of playing in an empty stadium 2. We don’t talk about it a lot, but being ahead in a match is the cross to bear for some players. Gauff wins in 3.”
Bencic has a crashout when leading the match vs Gauff up a set & a break.
1. Perils of playing in an empty stadium
2. We don’t talk about it a lot, but being ahead in a match is the cross to bear for some players.
Gauff wins in 3 https://t.co/LE9XDfsjZU
— Amy Lundy Dahl (@AmyLundyDahl) September 30, 2025
View Tweet
There has been a lot made of Bencic’s comment in which she claimed she was ‘too old for mind games’, which some people have suggested is ironic given the fact that she raised the issue in the first place.
“If you’re too old for those mind games then wouldn’t it be better if you just ignore them altogether?”
“’I’m too old for these mind games, ok?’ is immediate canon. Can’t wait to watch this match back.”
After having some time to reflect on the incident, Bencic has posted her first message on social media looking back on the match.
Bencic will now look ahead to the Wuhan Open, while Gauff gears up for her quarterfinal at the China Open against Eva Lys.