Coco Gauff qualifies for WTA Finals in Riyadh after battling into quarterfinals in Beijing

Coco Gauff has battled into the quarterfinals of the China Open in Beijing, coming back from a set and a break down to defeat Belinda Bencic in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.

With that win, Gauff also qualifies for the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

At just 21, it's already her fourth year in a row qualifying for the year-end championships. She's also the defending champion this year, having won one of the biggest titles of her career there last year.

The American has had another impressive year on the tour, highlighted by an incredible finish to the clay-court season, winning 17 of her last 19 matches on the surface to reach back-to-back WTA 1000 finals in Madrid and Rome and then go all the way to the second Grand Slam title of her career at Roland Garros.

The world No. 3 is the third player to qualify for the WTA Finals this year, after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

Gauff very nearly didn't qualify on Tuesday, though.

After the American jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, Bencic came alive, winning five games in a row to sneak out the first set. Then, after six straight holds to start the second set, she broke for 4-3.

Now down a set and a break, Gauff had to dig deep, and she did—she not only broke right back in the next game to make it 4-all, but after the two traded holds to get to 5-all and 6-all, she also dug out of a 3-1 hole in the tie-break to sneak out the second set.

The two-time Grand Slam champion then broke in the very first game of the third set and eventually opened up a 5-1 lead, serving out the two-hour, 29-minute victory two games later.

Gauff finished the match with an almost-even 37 winners to 38 unforced errors, while Bencic finished with 18 to 30.

"It was a tough match," Gauff said afterwards. "I had chances to close out the first set, but overall I'm really happy with how I fought. She was being really aggressive. I just tried my best today."

And on qualifying for the WTA Finals? "I'm happy to be back in Riyadh," she said. "I'm glad I was able to do it here."

Awaiting the No. 2-seeded Gauff in the quarterfinals of Beijing will be Germany's Eva Lys, who defeated American McCartney Kessler in an all-unseeded fourth-round match later in the day, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, to reach the first WTA 1000 quarterfinal of her career.

Gauff and Lys will be playing each other for the first time.