Sixth-ranked Coco Gauff overcame a sluggish start to defeat Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the China Open on Thursday. Gauff will face Paula Badosa of Spain in the semifinals, who earlier ended local wild card Zhang Shuai’s impressive run at the title.
Starodubtseva, ranked 115th in the world, had not lost a set in her three matches this week and quickly took the lead against Gauff. The American struggled in the first set, making numerous errors and failing to hold serve. However, Gauff showed her resilience by saving two break points in her opening service game of the second set and breaking Starodubtseva’s serve to take a 3-1 lead.
Gauff continued to dominate the second and third sets, losing only three more games. She displayed her powerful serve and aggressive groundstrokes, forcing Starodubtseva into errors. The American’s victory marks her second consecutive comeback win after she rallied from a set down against Naomi Osaka in the previous round.
Meanwhile, Badosa continued her impressive form by defeating Zhang Shuai 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the other quarterfinal. The Spaniard has won 28 of her last 35 matches and has reached the semifinals of three of her past five tournaments.
Zhang, who entered the tournament on a 24-match losing streak, had been the surprise of the week. She had not dropped a set in her four matches, but she was unable to match Badosa’s power and consistency. The Spaniard broke Zhang’s serve three times in the opening set and rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the second set to win the tiebreak.
