China Open: Gauff Rallies To Reach Final; Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic Win In Shanghai

Coco Gauff rallied from a set down for the third consecutive match as she beat Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the China Open final on Saturday. (More Tennis News)

The sixth-ranked Gauff will play Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic in Sunday's final.

Muchova defeated Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

Gauff, who has a 7-1 record in tour finals, has made a habit of slow starts in Beijing this week and the script played out again as the No. 19-ranked Badosa took a tight opening set, saving 10 of 11 break points.

The Spaniard then built a 3-1 lead in the second set before 2023 U.S. Open champion Gauff shifted the momentum by saving four break points and then breaking back to level at 4-4.

Gauff held for 5-4 and broke Badosa again to force a deciding set.

바카라�I felt like I was playing the right way the whole time, just a couple of unforced errors, she was playing well too,바카라� Gauff said on court.

바카라�I was trying to stay focused. Mentally, I just tried to reset. I got down a couple of times, and I tried to bounce back.바카라�

With all the momentum, Gauff broke Badosa three more times 바카라� for the loss of one of her own 바카라� as she clinched the match in 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Gauff also lost the first set to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round before winning by walkover and against No. 115-ranked Yuliia Starodubtseva in the quarterfinals.

바카라�I've had tough opponents the whole tournament,바카라� Gauff said.

Shanghai Masters Carlos Alcaraz and top-ranked Jannik Sinner showed no signs of fatigue from their China Open final this week as they advanced in Shanghai with comfortable straight-set victories in their opening matches.

The second-ranked Alcaraz, who beat the Italian in Beijing on Wednesday for his fourth title of the year, recorded his 10th consecutive win against 19-year-old Shang Juncheng of China 6-2, 6-2.

The Spaniard won the first nine points of the match and four of seven break points as he rushed into a third-round meeting with another Chinese player, Wu Yibing.

바카라�I'm not used to playing against players younger than me,바카라� Alcaraz said.

바카라�He has been playing good tennis lately, lifting his first ATP (title in Chengdu), so I'm pretty sure he's going to climb the rankings. I'm just happy to to be able to win these kinds of matches."

Sinner, who is dealing with a doping case, had a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 outing against Taro Daniel of Japan for his 250th career win.

Sinner, who won the U.S Open last month for his second major of the year, fired 12 aces and 38 winners.

바카라�I felt quite comfortable today,바카라� said Sinner, who next plays Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina.

바카라�I feel in good shape, which is very important for me. I was serving really, really well, especially in important moments, and was moving well.바카라�

No. 65-ranked Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic broke sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev seven times on his way to an upset 6-7 (7), 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Yosuke Watanuki also surprised by beating No. 35-ranked Brendan Nakashima 7-6 (4), 6-3. The Japanese qualifier next plays seventh-ranked Taylor Fritz of the U.S. or qualifier Terence Atmane of France.