Coco Gauff gets disadvantageous match schedule at Wuhan Open for QF because of her opponent

Coco Gauff booked her spot in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wuhan Open on Thursday, beating Shuai Zhang in the Round of 16. The match ended around midnight local time in Wuhan, but the American will have to return to the court in the afternoon for her next clash.

Playing on Center Court on Thursday, Gauff prevailed 6-3, 6-2 against Zhang, her second straight-sets win at the WTA 1000 tournament. Up next, she will take on Germany's Laura Siegemund, who beat Magdalena Frech in straight sets in the Round of 16 earlier in the day.

Siegemund, 37 years old, is also playing doubles at the Wuhan Open this week, partnering with Fanny Stollar. The pair have reached the quarterfinals against Iva Jovic and Giuliana Olmos, a match also scheduled to take place tomorrow on Friday.

As a result, in order to accomodate both of Siegemund's matches with enough time in between for her to rest, the German is scheduled to play at 3 pm local time, with the doubles encounter taking place later. It is for this reason that Coco Gauff will have a very short turnaround between the Round of 16 battle and the quarterfinals.

Before Gauff vs Siegemund, there are two matches taking place -- Katerina Siniakova vs Jessica Pegula (11 am local time) and Aryna Sabalenka vs Elena Rybakina (1 pm local time) after that. The final quarterfinal in the singles draw will see Iga Swiatek lock horns with Jasmine Paolini, scheduled for 7 pm local time.

Coco Gauff and Laura Siegemund are tied in their head-to-head ahead of Wuhan Open clash

Coco Gauff at the 2025 Wuhan Open - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Coco Gauff and Laura Siegemund, ahead of their clash in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wuhan Open, are tied 1-1 in the head-to-head. The pair last met at the US Open in 2023, which the American won in dramatic fashion on the way to winning her maiden Grand Slam title.

A win against Siegemund would pit Gauff against either Iga Swiatek or Jasmine Paolini in the semifinals, followed by a potential final against World No. 1 and three-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Edited by Shyam Kamal