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Gauff powers into Beijing semi-finals and date with Anisimova / Photo: © AFP
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Gauff powers into Beijing semi-finals and date with Anisimova
Defending champion Coco Gauff brushed aside unseeded Eva Lys in straight sets on Thursday to power into her third consecutive China Open semi-final.
The 21-year-old won 6-3, 6-4 and the world number three next plays US Open finalist Amanda Anisimova in an all-American affair in Beijing.
"I'm happy with how I played today," Gauff, seeded two, said. "(Lys is) a tough opponent.
"She hit some incredible shots off the run, so I was just trying my best to stay aggressive."
After an even start to their quarter-final Gauff began to seize control, winning the first set when the German fired long.
"I think I maybe played one passive point in this game, but after that I think I played good tennis," Gauff added.
Lys stunned Elena Rybakina en route to the last eight for her first-ever top-10 win but beating the reigning French Open champion was a step too far.
The 23-year-old threw her racquet at one point in the second set after losing a chance to break, and though she stayed in it a bit longer, Gauff closed out in 1h 28mins, her quickest match yet of the tournament.
Third seed Anisimova had a longer struggle, coming back to beat sixth-seeded Italian Jasmine Paolini 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-4 in a gruelling 2 hours and 47 minutes.
There was a moment of tension in the second game of the third set when Paolini coughed and the umpire replaced Anisimova's ace with a first serve.
Anisimova, who lost the US Open final to Aryna Sabalenka last month, survived six break points to level at 4-4 and closed out.
"It was super tough," the 24-year-old said.
"It's been a while since I played (Paolini) and today... had everything."
Her win in the Chinese capital earned her a first-ever appearance in the WTA Finals.
"It's my first time that I'm gonna play there and it was a goal that I set for myself at the beginning of the year," she said.
The draw has opened up for the two Americans.
World number one Sabalenka of Belarus is not in the Chinese capital after she withdrew due to a small injury before the tournament.
Poland's Iga Swiatek, ranked 2nd, crashed out of the event Wednesday in a three-set loss to American Emma Navarro.
Sixteenth-seeded Navarro plays fellow American Jessica Pegula, the fifth seed, in the quarter-finals.
K.Radomski--GL
