Watch: Coco Gauff engages in a warm exchange as she embraces close friend Hailey Baptiste at the net following her 2R win at Citi Open 2023

Coco Gauff shared a warm embrace with her close friend Hailey Baptiste at the net, following her second-round win at the 2023 Citi Open.

Gauff defeated qualifier and compatriot Baptiste 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 17 minutes. The 19-year-old did not drop a single serve and impressively secured more than half of the points while returning Baptiste's second serves.

Following her victory, Coco Gauff and Hailey Baptiste approached each other at the net and embraced. As they held each other tightly and exchanged heartfelt words.

Watch the video here:

During the post-match interview, Coco Gauff expressed her delight in playing Baptiste in front of her hometown, someone she has known for a long time. She hoped for numerous future encounters between them on the court.

"Playing Hailey, a friend, known her for a long time," Gauff said. "It was really cool to play her in front of her hometown, and hopefully we have many more battles in the future."

"We practiced together so many times. Camps together. We even shared a room together in Palm Springs for, like, three weeks or two weeks. We were roommates. Yeah, we know each other very well," she added.

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Coco Gauff will take on Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinal of the Citi Open 2023

Coco Gauff at the 2023 Citi Open

Third seed Coco Gauff will face off against Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Citi Open on Friday, August 4.

After receiving a first-round bye, Gauff locked horns with Hailey Baptiste. The first set was heavily dominated by Gauff, as she only lost one game on her way to securing it.

Baptiste managed to keep pace with the 19-year-old in the second set but failed to put her in a difficult position. The latter swiftly won three consecutive games, taking a 5-3 lead and ultimately securing the victory.

Belinda Bencic advanced to the second round after Anastasia Potapova retired during their match. Bencic then faced qualifier Lauren Davis in a bid to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The Swiss dominated the first set and consequently claimed it.

Bencic secured the decisive break in the seventh game of the second set, taking a 4-3 lead. She further solidified her advantage by holding her serve, extending the score to 5-3. After Davis managed to hold her own serve, the 26-year-old served out the match, ultimately winning 6-1, 6-4.

Belinda Bencic currently holds a 1-0 lead over Gauff in their head-to-head matches. Their previous encounter took place at the 2021 Adelaide International, where the Swiss emerged victorious in three sets.