The fourth-seeded Coco Gauff rallied past qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, advancing to her second straight China Open semifinal. She had a bad start as her serve problems started returning. But this time, the worlds number six improved her play to overcome her problems and beat the world number 115.
Gauff is the youngest back-to-back semifinalist at the China Open since Maria Sharapova achieved the feat in 2004 and 2005. Up next for Gauff is the resurgent Paula Badosa. The Spaniard ended the epic run of the home hero Zhang Shuai in their quarterfinal clash. Former world number two Badosa continued her resurgence in a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory.
Gauff Overcame a Nightmare Start
The American star was not at her best against the Ukrainian Starodubtseva and failed to hit a winner throughout the first set. Gauff spit up seven double faults and did not hit a winner during the sloppy set. “The first set was a tough set, I think,” Gauff said.
The same problem happened when she faced her compatriot Emma Navarro at the US Open. This issue led her to change her strategy, including a fresh start with a new coaching team led by Matt Daly. Gauff also lost the first set against Naomi Osaka in the previous round. Osaka retired because of a lower back injury.
During the second set against Starodubtseva, Gauff played much better as her serve came around. At the end of the final set, the 2023 US Open champion overcame her issues and won the match. Victory for Gauff means she earned a key rankings boost after successfully defending all her points in Beijing.
Opportunity to be in Top Five
The 20-year-old Gauff can move back into the world’s top five. It will happen if she can lift the second WTA 1000 career title this weekend. A run to the title would see Gauff move to 5.593 ranking points, ahead of current world number four Elena Rybakina and world number five Jasmine Paolini. Rybakina’s semi-final points from last year will drop off after her pre-tournament withdrawal, while Paolini was beaten in round three.
To get closer to her goal, Gauff needs a victory over the Spaniard Paula Badosa in the semifinal. The 26-year-old has reached the last four in Beijing without losing a set in her four matches – including the match against the second-seeded Jessica Pegula. Badosa has climbed from 19th to 15th in the live WTA rankings due to her run.
The Challenges Will Be Tougher for Gauff
Gauff has had a difficult year, failing to reach a Grand Slam final and losing in the third round of the Paris Olympics. Next, in the China Open, she will face Badosa for a spot in her first final since winning in Auckland in January. This match will not be much easier for Gauff, who has struggled to win in the last two rounds.
Badosa has had excellent weeks in terms of tennis and physical performance. She was ranked 140 in the world earlier this year but has risen to 19th after 28 wins in 35 matches since May. The remaining quarter-finals will occur on Friday, with top seed Aryna Sabalenka facing Karolina Muchova and Mirra Andreeva taking on fifth seed Homestar Qinwen Zheng.
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