Coco Gauff Advances to China Open Semi-Finals After Thrilling Comeback

TDT | Manama

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Coco Gauff overcame a challenging match against Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva, winning in three sets to secure her spot in the semi-finals of the China Open yesterday. The 2023 US Open champion, seeded fourth, triumphed with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in Beijing.

Gauff is set to face Paula Badosa in the next round after the Spaniard defeated China’s Zhang Shuai, ranked 595th, in straight sets, ending her surprising run in the tournament.

The 20-year-old American struggled with her serve early on, leading to her loss in the first set. However, she regained her composure in the second set, marking the first time Starodubtseva, ranked 115th, dropped a set in her seventh match of the tournament. Gauff surged ahead with a 3-0 lead in the final set and maintained her momentum to clinch her place in the semi-finals, eyeing her eighth singles title.

In the other quarter-final, former world number two Badosa put a damper on the home crowd's spirits with a decisive 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Zhang. The 35-year-old Zhang, a two-time Grand Slam singles quarter-finalist, had been on a difficult streak with 24 consecutive losses spanning over 600 days, the second-longest in the Open Era. Nonetheless, she managed to win a match to kick off her tournament and impressively reached the last eight with three additional victories.

Playing in front of a near-capacity crowd at the 15,000-seater Diamond Court, Zhang found herself down two breaks early in the first set due to a flurry of unforced errors. Although she managed to hold serve to make it 4-1, Badosa quickly dominated the set, finishing it in just 23 minutes. The second set was more competitive and ultimately went to a tie-break, where Badosa secured her victory on her first match point when Zhang’s forehand return went wide.

Zhang made history as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage at the China Open.

In upcoming matches, top seed Aryna Sabalenka is set to face Karolina Muchova on Friday for a chance to join the last four, with the winner meeting either Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva or China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.