Coco Gauff passes tough Claire Liu test to to set up Belinda Bencic showdown

The seventh seed, a former US Open and French Open champion, was forced to dig deep on Court One after briefly appearing in control of the contest. Having cruised through the opening set with minimal resistance, Gauff looked set for a straightforward passage when Liu, ranked outside the top 100, raised her level and turned the match into a test of nerve and composure.

Gauff even held three match points in the second set, but could not close the door as Liu saved them all before forcing a tiebreak under the fading evening light. The qualifier capitalised on a passive spell from Gauff in the breaker, levelling the match and raising the possibility of an upset.

The American, however, responded quickly at the start of the decider. She broke immediately with a deep backhand that forced an error and never relinquished control from there, moving into a 5-2 lead before sealing victory.

"I think I'm not playing my best tennis," Gauff admitted afterwards, though she pointed to improvements in her serve and growing confidence.

"I had some opportunities to close it out in the second set, but I'm glad I didn't let that derail me," she said. "These are experiences you can learn from."

Gauff will now face Swiss 11th seed Belinda Bencic in the last 16, renewing a rivalry that has largely gone in her favour. The American leads their head-to-head 5-2, although none of their previous meetings have come on grass, adding uncertainty to a contest that has often been tightly contested over three sets.

Bencic arrives in strong form after a similarly demanding win over Anna Kalinskaya, a match decided 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6) after she was twice a break up in the final set. The Swiss struck 42 winners in that victory, underlining the attacking threat she will bring into the clash.

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