Global No. 6 After a difficult start, Coco Gauff persevered, defeating Yuliia Starodubtseva of Ukraine 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 to go to the China Open quarterfinals on Thursday. Paula Badosa of Spain, who put an end to Zhang Shuai’s thrilling run earlier in the day, will present Gauff with his next obstacle.
The 115th-ranked Starodubtseva came out firing, winning the opening set 6-2 with aggressive and crisp play. Holding the American to zero, the Ukrainian qualifier, who hadn’t lost a set all week, shocked Gauff with ten victories. Gauff wanted to get back up fast because she had a similar sluggish start to her match against Naomi Osaka before Osaka quit from injury.
In her first service game of the second set, Gauff saved two break opportunities and used that momentum to take a vital break to take the lead 3-1. She then settled into a groove and won all three of the remaining games to book her place in the semifinals.
Ends Zhang Shuai’s Dream Run with Badosa
In other quarterfinal action, local favorite Zhang Shuai was defeated 6-1, 7-6(4) by Paula Badosa, who maintained her comeback. Badosa’s remarkable success has seen her win 28 of the past 35 matches since May. She has also advanced to the quarterfinals of the US Open and been in the semifinals of three of her previous five events.
Semifinal Matchup: Badosa vs. Gauff
Gauff and Badosa are both playing well, so their semifinal showdown should be exciting. While Badosa wants to maintain her recent pace, Gauff wants to improve on her capacity to overcome early disadvantages. Fans can anticipate a fierce match as these two players in form compete for a spot in the China Open final.
