Coco Gauff, the No. 4 seed, powered her way to a second consecutive China Open semifinal after a comeback victory against Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva. Gauff won 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinals, marking her third WTA 1000 semifinal of the year. The 20-year-old American, now the youngest back-to-back semifinalist in Beijing since Maria Sharapova in 2004-2005, will face Paula Badosa next.
Gauff’s victory came after a rough start, where she struggled with her serve and allowed Starodubtseva to dominate the first set. The Ukrainian, ranked No. 115, broke Gauff three times and held the American to zero winners while hitting 10 of her own. However, Gauff rebounded by saving key break points in the second set, gaining momentum, and eventually controlling the match. In the final set, Gauff opened with a 3-0 lead and never faced a break point, losing just four points on serve.
Gauff will now meet Badosa in the semifinals on Saturday. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 3-2, but Gauff won their most recent encounter on clay in Rome. This will be Gauff’s chance to reach her first WTA 1000 final since her Cincinnati triumph last year.
With her win, Gauff improved to 12-1 against qualifiers this season and strengthened her chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals for the third straight year. Meanwhile, Starodubtseva, despite the loss, will break into the Top 100 for the first time following her impressive run in Beijing.
