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 on Thursday.
The 2023 US Open champion, seeded fourth, triumphed with a score of 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in Beijing. Gauff will next face Spain’s Paula Badosa, who defeated China’s 595th-ranked Zhang Shuai in straight sets.
Despite her recent split from coach Brad Gilbert, Gauff managed to regain her composure after a shaky start, during which she struggled with her serve and dropped the first set. She bounced back decisively in the second set, marking the first set Starodubtseva lost in her seventh match of the tournament.
In the final set, Gauff established a commanding 3-0 lead, ultimately sealing her place in the semi-finals.
In the other quarter-final, former world number two Badosa ended the dreams of local favorite Zhang, winning 6-1, 7-6 (7/4). The 35-year-old Zhang, a two-time Grand Slam singles quarter-finalist, had recently faced a 24-match losing streak spanning over 600 days—the second-longest on the WTA Tour in the Open Era.
In front of a nearly full crowd at the 15,000-seater Diamond Court, Zhang fell behind early in the match, struggling with unforced errors. Although she managed to win a game to get on the board at 4-1, Badosa quickly claimed the first set in just 23 minutes. The second set was more competitive, leading to a tie-break, which Badosa won on her first match point as Zhang’s forehand return went wide.
Zhang made history as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage of the China Open. Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka will face Karolina Muchova on Friday for a place in the semi-finals, with the winner set to meet either Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva or China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
