“I’m too old for these mind games!” fired Belinda Bencic at Coco Gauff at the China Open. This fiery exchange became the talking point of the week. More than the result, the heated interaction between the American and the Swiss pro caught everyone’s attention. Now a former WTA icon has shared her take on how the verbal battle eventually led to Gauff’s triumph against Bencic while making a stunning comparison with 23-time slam queen Serena Williams.

During an episode of her podcast, dated September 30, ex-Australian player Rennae Stubbs revealed honest thoughts on the Gauff-Bencic verbal clash during the R16. Per Stubbs, it was Belinda who made things worse for herself when she could have simply focused on the match and snatched the victory. “Belinda Bencic decided to complain about Coco’s team and how they were clapping and being like, you know, saying stuff before she was about to serve and stuff.”

Stubbs explained, “Look, I can tell you one thing. If you’re winning a match and you’re in a winning position, which Bencic was at that point, up a set and in the second set, you just got to go and play. Like you do not want to add fuel to somebody’s fire, particularly someone like Coco, to like get her in the mindset to like fight and battle, which she did in that second set.” Bencic was cruising after winning the first set 6-4. In the second set, however, at 2-3, she lost her focus to the war of words.

And the next thing you know, Gauff made a comeback and eventually took the match with a scoreline of 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Comparing Gauff to former icon Serena Williams, Stubbs continued, “I just think like it’s just crazy that these players (Bencic) like lose their mind 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.” A similar instance, but featuring Williams, took place a decade ago during the 2015 French Open. In the third round against Victoria Azarenka, Williams was struggling in the first set. But she managed to come back thanks to Azarenka’s gestures, which fueled her urge to win. After taking the first set 6-3, Azarenka hit a shot on the last point of the second set that landed close to the baseline. The chair umpire Kader Nouni called it “out” and asked her to replay the point.

Azarenka refused initially while giving a look to Williams. She even waved her hand which Williams told her not to do. When the point was replayed, Azarenka lost the second set before losing the match as well in the decider. She shouldn’t have chosen that battle against Williams and that’s exactly what Stubbs said regarding Bencic’s antics against Gauff. “I’m sure Coco was in her own head at that point (second set), and oh my god, am I going to lose and blah, blah. Then she’s like, uh-uh, no, no, now you’re disrespecting me and my team.”

At the end of the day, the good news is that Gauff won and advanced ahead. So far, her journey hasn’t been smooth in Beijing. But the defending champion has made her way into the semis to reclaim her crown. The only problem is her next rival, who is also her compatriot.

Coco Gauff set for an all-American clash at the China Open

On Friday, Coco Gauff beat Germany’s Eva Lys during the quarterfinal clash. The win came in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) but the American admitted that Lys made her struggle a bit. “She’s a tough opponent, she hit some incredible shots on the run,” said the 21-year-old while admiring her opponent. “I was trying my best to stay aggressive. Just staying confident in my game and not being too passive when I have the lead.”

Gauff has an extremely tough challenge ahead. She will face none other than compatriot Amanda Anisimova in the semifinal on Saturday. The 24-year-old WTA star has witnessed a sensational meteoric rise this year. At Wimbledon, she entered her maiden slam final two months ago.

Although Anisimova lost the summit clash against Iga Swiatek – who handed her a double bagel in 57 minutes – she made a strong return last month. At the US Open, she exacted her revenge against Swiatek, defeating her in the quarterfinals. Eventually, she made it to her second straight slam final before losing to World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open.

At the China Open, too, Anisimova has continued to show dominant form. In her last match in the QF stage, she bested Jasmine Paolini despite trailing in the first set and entered the China Open semifinal for the first time. Gauff and Anisimova are tied at 1-1 in their H2H tally. It will be intriguing to see who ends up securing a place in the summit clash.