In Beijing, world number six tennis sensation Corinne Gauff staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Ukrainian qualifier Yuliya Starodubtseva 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, securing her spot in the China Open semifinals on Thursday. Gauff will face off against Spain’s Paula Badosa, who earlier ended the impressive run of local wild card Zhang Shuai.
Starodubtseva, ranked 115th, had been on a roll, winning all three of her previous matches without dropping a set. She dominated the first set, firing off 10 winners while Gauff struggled with errors. Gauff’s slow start was reminiscent of her previous match against Naomi Osaka, whom she eventually defeated after Osaka retired due to injury.
Gauff regrouped in the second set, saving two break points in her opening service game and eventually breaking Starodubtseva’s serve to take a 3-1 lead. After a narrow escape in her next service game, Gauff cruised to victory, losing only three more games for the remainder of the match.
Meanwhile, Badosa continued her impressive streak, defeating Zhang Shuai 6-1, 7-6 (4) in their quarterfinal clash. The Spanish player has won 28 of her last 35 matches since May and has made the semifinals of three of her past five tournaments, including a quarterfinal appearance at the US Open last month.
Zhang’s remarkable run, which saw her win four matches without dropping a set, came to an end. The 35-year-old Chinese wild card had been on a 24-match losing streak, the second longest in the Open era, and was ranked 595th before the tournament. Despite her valiant effort, she was no match for Badosa’s strong start, which saw the Spaniard claim three service breaks to win the opening set comfortably. The second set was much closer, with Badosa rallying from 3-1 down to edge Zhang in the tiebreak.
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