Coco Gauff continued her impressive form by extending her winning streak to 16 matches, the longest on the WTA Tour this season. Gauff defeated Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the China Open on Friday, setting up a highly-anticipated semifinal clash with the second seed, Iga Swiatek.
The upcoming match between Gauff and Swiatek holds special significance, as the two have met eight times in the past. While Swiatek has won seven of these encounters, Gauff secured victory in their most recent meeting during the Cincinnati semi-final.
Gauff, who claimed her first Grand Slam title at this year’s U.S. Open, showcased her prowess on the court, needing just one hour and 20 minutes to dispatch the fourth-seeded Greek, Maria Sakkari. Gauff impressively held her serve throughout the match.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff mentioned, “I think I served well on the pressure points, and yeah, I think every match has got better for me in this tournament.”
The 19-year-old American, currently ranked third in the world, will face world number two Iga Swiatek in Saturday’s semifinal. Swiatek displayed her resilience by coming from a set down to defeat Caroline Garcia with a scoreline of 6-7(8), 7-6(5), 6-1.
Swiatek described the match as intense and fast-paced, emphasizing that she relied on her intuition during key moments. She highlighted her ability to seize opportunities in the third set, securing three breaks of Garcia’s serve to clinch the victory.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka faced disappointment as she failed to reach the semifinals, losing 7-5, 6-2 to the fifth seed, Elena Rybakina. Rybakina’s powerful serve, which included 12 aces compared to Sabalenka’s four, and her ability to break her opponent’s serve four times contributed to her success.
Rybakina, who was the runner-up in this year’s Australian Open, will face Liudmila Samsonova in the semifinal. Samsonova defeated 13th seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2 to secure her spot in the last four. Notably, Samsonova has won all three of her previous meetings with Rybakina, setting the stage for an intriguing encounter in the semifinal.
