Coco Gauff is in to her first WTA Tour semi-final since winning the French Open in June after defeating Eva Lys 6-3 6-4 at the China Open to remain on course for a successful title defence.
World No 3 Gauff’s best result since her Roland-Garros triumph was making the quarter-finals in Cincinnati, with the American losing in the first round at Wimbledon and then being knocked out in the last 16 of her home Grand Slam at the US Open.
The 21-year-old, now the highest-ranked player left in the draw after Iga Swiatek’s defeat and Aryna Sabalenka not in action, will face either Jasmine Paolini or Amanda Anisimova in the last four as she pushes for a third WTA 1000 title.
Gauff is the defending champion in Beijing after beating Karolina Muchova in the 2024 final
Gauff beat Karolina Muchová to win the China Open a year ago, having defeated the same player to land her maiden 1000 trophy in Cincinnati in August 2023.
On her win over Lys, in which the players traded five consecutive breaks of serve in the first set, Gauff said: “I’m happy with how I played. She’s a tough opponent, she hit a couple of great shots on the run.
“I think I need to stay confident in my game and not be too passive when I have the lead. I played one passive point in this match, but otherwise I played well.”
In the other half of the draw, Great Britain’s Sonay Kartal will take on Linda Noskova in her quarter-final on Friday (approximately 8am UK time) ahead of the all-American encounter between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro.
Highlights of Iga Swiatek against Emma Navarro from the China Open
Navarro knocked out top seed Swiatek on Wednesday, sweeping the Pole 6-0 in the deciding set.
Also on Wednesday, Kartal pulled off the biggest win of her career, beating two-time WTA 1000 winner and world No 5 Mirra Andreeva in three sets to reach her first quarter-final at this level.
The 23-year-old has risen to British No 2 in the live rankings, above Katie Boulter, with her run in Beijing including a 6-3 6-0 win over 14th seed Daria Kasatkina in round two.
Sonay Kartal is through to the quarter-finals of the China Open after beating Mirra Andreeva for a statement victory
Kartal did not drop a set in her first three matches and then rallied from losing the second to Andreeva to complete victory on her second match point, winning 7-5 2-6 7-5 in two hours and 25 minutes.
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