BEIJING: Coco Gauff fought back from a set down to reach the China Open final on Saturday and set up a showdown with party-pooper Karolina Muchova.
The American former US Open champion beat Spain's Paula Badosa 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to close on an eighth title.
The 20-year-old faces Muchova after the 49th-ranked Czech silenced a capacity Beijing crowd to beat bloodied Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen in straight sets.
Sixth-ranked Gauff has struggled for form in recent months and split with coach Brad Gilbert after her US Open defence ended in the last 16 in a blur of double-faults.
Gauff struggled again with her serve against Badosa, racking up 11 double-faults.
But she belatedly found a semblance of top form to down the former world number two in two hours, 20 minutes.
With a new coaching set-up in place, Gauff said that she had not really expected to be in the final.
"Has this week been my best tennis? In moments, yes," said Gauff, the youngest player to reach the China Open decider since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.
"I think today I reached some levels where I was playing my best tennis. Obviously, that's not the case for the whole match."
The 19th-ranked Badosa broke in the fifth game of the first set as Gauff's problems with her serve resurfaced.
The eighth game was mammoth, with 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 took that ascendancy into the deciding set as her opponent faded fast.
Gauff's only title of the year so far came in Auckland in January.
In the other semi-final, Muchova disappointed the 15,000 crowd to beat a subdued Zheng 6-3, 6-4.
The Czech is the lowest-ranked player to reach the Beijing final since the tournament began in 2004.
Last year's French Open finalist toppled top seed Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals on Friday.
"Making the final here is such a nice feeling," said the 28-year-old Muchova, who is trying to win only the second title of her career.
"I've felt good and just happy to perform well against these big players and see that I can face them, and beat them."
Muchova eased through the first set against Paris gold medallist Zheng and was just as unrelenting in the second to ram home her advantage.
Serving to stay in the tournament, the 21-year-old Zheng dug deep to save two match points in the ninth game, but the reprieve was only very brief.
"I was just really tired, no energy," said Zheng, who had medical treatment during the match after losing her balance and taking a fall.
"Of course I felt the pain – bruises on my palms as well as blood on my fingers."
Muchova was inside the top 10 this time last year but did not play for nearly nine months after wrist surgery.
Gauff has won both their previous two meetings in straight sets, most recently in the US Open semi-finals last year on the way to clinching her first major crown.
"She's like a moving wall, an amazing athlete," said the Czech. — AFP