Coco Gauff advances to second straight semifinal in Beijing

Fourth-seeded Coco Gauff overcame a sluggish start to record a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in their quarterfinal match of the China Open on Thursday in Beijing.

Gauff won 78.6 percent of her first-serve points and saved 10 of 13 break points while overcoming 11 double faults to dispatch Starodubtseva in 1 hour and 51 minutes. The former U.S. Open champion advanced to her second straight semifinal in Beijing and will face 15th-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain, who notched a 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over Chinese wild card Shuai Zhang.

Badosa holds a 3-2 lead over Gauff in their head-to-head competitions, however the latter won their only meeting of the season in Rome.

Gauff, however, found herself in unfamiliar territory on Thursday as she faced Starodubtseva for the first time.

“I was just trying to remember what we’ve been working on on the practice court,” Gauff said. “It’s still a lot of things I’m adjusting to, so for me, it’s about trusting the process and focusing on that.

“Today, I can’t control how I play or how she plays, but I can just try to control my mindset and commit to the process.”

It didn’t look good in the early going as Starodubtseva held a 10-0 advantage in winners while Gauff committed seven double faults. Gauff, however, turned the tables in the second set, saving two break points in her opening service game and two more to take control of the contest.

Badosa posted her 28th win in her last 35 matches and gained a third semifinal berth in her past five tournaments by dismissing her foe in 1 hour and 23 minutes.

Ten aces told the tale for Badosa, who also took advantage of 22 unforced errors by Zhang.

“She was playing very high level, not the ranking that shows or the dynamic she was going through. Also I knew she was playing with a home crowd, that’s always extra motivation,” Badosa said.

“I started really strong with my ideas very clear and playing very aggressive. Everything was going my way. Second set, I think she raised her level. She was playing more aggressive and going more to net. At the end it was a battle that could have gone either way.”

The loss ended a magical run for Zhang, who entered the tournament on a 24-match losing skid.

–Field Level Media