Coco Gauff gives her honest opinion on Belinda Bencic after playing her three times this season

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Coco Gauff enjoyed the best tournament of her 2025 season in Madrid, as she reached her first final of the year.

The American had struggled for form over recent months, before bouncing back at the Madrid Open.

Gauff beat Mirra Andreeva in her quarterfinal match, taking down the Russian star who had won more WTA 1000 titles than any other player in 2025.

In the semi-finals, Gauff stunned Iga Swiatek, 6-1, 6-1, handing the Pole her worst clay-court defeat in six years.

She came up short in a bid to win her first WTA 1000 title on clay when Gauff lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final, 3-6, 6-7.

Looking ahead to the Italian Open, Gauff has shared her thoughts on the player she came up against for a third time this year in Madrid.

Coco Gauff says Belinda Bencic ‘forces’ her to be better and predicts a ‘tough’ match if they play again

During her pre-tournament press conference, Gauff was asked for her thoughts on Swiss star Belinda Bencic, with whom she’s played against three times this year.

“Yeah, she’s a tough opponent. I think she’s just a really good ball-striker,” she said.

“She takes the ball insanely early. Yeah, what can I say? Off the court, she’s super nice.

“Actually, I think I first hit with her when I was 14 or 13 at the Miami Open. I don’t know if she even remembers.

“Yeah, everything… Being a mom, how she’s kind of right where she left off is pretty inspiring. 

“I think when I see her interact with her family, she truly strikes me as someone that’s really happy with her life, which I am, too.

“I think long-term, that’s a place I would like to strive to be. She’s a very genuine person, as well.”

Gauff then predicted what would happen if they played for a fourth time in 2025.

“Yeah, if we play again, it’s going to be another tough match,” she said.

“It’s never easy against Belinda [Bencic]. She forces me to be a better player, which I can appreciate.”

Gauff holds a tight 3-2 lead in the head-to-head with Bencic, having won their most recent encounter in the fourth round of the Madrid Open.

The American got the better of her Swiss rival in straight sets recently, having lost in Indian Wells one month earlier.

A fourth match in 2025 may be just around the corner, as the pair have been drawn in the same section of the Italian Open.

Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic’s path to a fourth match of 2025 at the Italian Open

Gauff and Bencic could potentially face off for a fourth time this year in the third round of the Italian Open, should they both win their opening matches.

The American will take on either qualifier Victoria Mboko or Wild Card Arianna Zucchini in her second-round match, while Bencic takes on Maria Sakkari in her opener, before a potential tie against Magda Linette.

Fans may expect Gauff and Bencic to make light work of their first few opponents, but in reality, they could face some tough tests on their way to the third round.

18-year-old Qualifier Victoria Mboko made headlines in Miami earlier this year when she pushed top-ten star Paula Badosa to a third-set tiebreaker.

Speaking to the Tennis Channel after the match, Badosa was full of praise for her Canadian opponent.

“What a player,” she said.

“She was playing unbelievable tennis, very good potential, fearless.”

For Bencic, her Greek first-round opponent could prove tough to beat, as Sakkari looks to rise back up the rankings, having fallen out of the world’s top 75 recently.

Only time will tell if we will see Bencic and Gauff advance to the third round, but if they were to do so it would certainly be interesting to see if the Swiss star could level the head-to-head at 3-3.

Bencic will begin her Italian Open campaign against Sakkari on Wednesday, May 7.