China Open: Gauff improves on a poor start, beats Starodubseva to reach the semis

Coco Gauff booked a return to a second consecutive China Open semifinal by coming from a set down to defeat Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Beijing is the 20-year-old American’s third WTA 1000 semifinal of the year and first since Rome. She is the youngest back-to-back semifinalist at the China Open since Maria Sharapova achieved the feat in 2004 and 2005.

“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.”

With the win over Starodubtseva, Gauff improved to 12-1 against qualifiers this year. She has also won 24 of her last 25 matches against players outside the Top 100 on the PIF WTA Rankings.

Gauff will face 15th seed Paula Badosa on Saturday for a spot in her first final since winning Auckland in January and first at the WTA 1000 level since winning Cincinnati last summer. Badosa leads their head-to-head 3-2. Gauff won their only meeting of the season on the clay in Rome.

Gauff entered the week at No.6 on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals and her run in Beijing has bolstered her chances of qualifying for her third straight season-ending championships.