BEIJING: Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to beat Spain’s Paula Badosa and surge into the final of the China Open on Saturday.
The American won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 and plays China’s Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen or Aryna Sabalenka’s vanquisher Karolina Muchova in Sunday’s title decider in Beijing.
Last year’s US Open champion, who has struggled in recent months, is chasing a second title of the year and eighth overall.
The 20-year-old split with coach Brad Gilbert after her New York title defence ended in the last 16 in a blur of double-faults.
The sixth-ranked Gauff racked up 11 double-faults and also converted just six of 20 break points on Saturday, but battled back to down the Spaniard in two hours, 20 minutes.
Top seed Sabalenka stunned by Muchova in Beijing last eight
“I tried to stay focused, it was tough but mentally I just tried to reset,” said Gauff.
Former world number two Badosa, now ranked 19, broke in the fifth game of the first set and then held for a 4-2 lead.
The eighth game was mammoth, Gauff finally converting her eighth break point, and she celebrated by putting both arms in the air.
The jubilation was short-lived, as Badosa broke back immediately and sealed the set on her third set point when Gauff overhit a simple forehand return.
Badosa broke once more to start the second set and Gauff was in danger of losing her cool, whacking the sole of her foot with her racquet as she fell 2-0 down.
Gauff recovered her poise to twice break the Spaniard and take the set against a suddenly rattled Badosa.
It was the first set Badosa had dropped in Beijing and Gauff was in the ascendancy, breaking three times in the deciding set for victory.
Gauff’s only title of the year so far came in Auckland in January.
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