Coco Gauff Strikes Back to Reach China Open Final

Coco Gauff advanced to the China Open final by beating Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. She had to rally from a set down for the third consecutive match. The 20-year-old American has made a habit of slow starts in Beijing this week. Her level has been very inconsistent in recent weeks. The US Open didn’t go well for her, and in Beijing, Gauff hasn’t really played her best tennis.

The sixth-ranked Gauff will play Karolina Muchova in Sunday’s final, seeking her second WTA-1000 level title. Gauff has a 7-1 record in tour finals. Unlike Gauff, Muchova continued gathering momentum as she moved into the final. In their semifinal match, the world No. 49 defeated No. 5 seed Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-4. Muchova needed 1 hour and 47 minutes to topple Chinese hope Zheng, the reigning Olympic gold medalist.

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Another Slow Start with a Happy Ending for Gauff

Gauff took a tight opening set against Paula Badosa in 59 minutes. Badosa, in the 140th world ranking in May, came into the semi-final meeting with good form. She stunned the second seed and US Open finalist Jessica Pegula in the last 16.

The Spaniard took advantage of Gauff’s flaws, particularly on her serve. Gauff fired down 11 double faults during her semifinal match. She has hit 31 overall during her run to the final in Beijing. But, she regained momentum to close the match with a sweet victory finally.

She saved four break points to overcome 4-1 down in the second set and made Badosa drop her first set of the week. The American then broke three times in the decider to seal the win. “I tried to stay focused, it was tough but mentally I just tried to reset,” she said on the on-court interview.

Gauff Stands by Her Decision to add Daly to Her Side

Despite having a slow start on her three matches in Beijing, Gauff believed her work with the new coach, Matt Daly, is paying off. She hired Daly a week before the China Open started after her split with Brad Gilbert. Now, she has been back in her first final since January, when she won the ASB Classic in Auckland.

Gauff previously declared that she wanted to work on her serve with Daly. She hit 19 double faults in her disappointing fourth-round US Open exit. Although it still has been rough in Beijing, Gauff stands by her decision to add Daly to her camp. “So far, I mean, it’s obviously working result-wise,” she said.

The Final Will be A Rematch for Gauff and Muchova

Karolina Muchova came to the final with her second straight win over the Top 10 this week. She snapped the top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka’s 15-match winning streak in the quarterfinals. And her latest win at the semifinal made her take a 2-1 lead in her head-to-head with Zheng. Former world No. 8 Muchova is now into her second career WTA 1000 final, following her runner-up showing at Cincinnati last year.

This final meeting with Gauff will be a rematch of that 2023 final. Last year, Gauff notched a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Muchova and claimed the Cincinnati title. Weeks later, Gauff improved to 2-0 over Muchova when she bested the Czech in the 2023 US Open semifinals, 6-4, 7-5. The American then claimed her first Grand Slam title.

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This article was written by Tania Rompas