Coco Gauff was pleased to reach the China Open final but highlighted one thing that has continued to impact her matches.
The 20-year-old overcame the challenge of Paula Badosa to reach Sunday’s championship match in Beijing for the first time.
The Spaniard looked to be cruising to victory before Gauff dug deep to seal a win after being a set down.
As the World number six grew in confidence, the 15th seed’s game imploded as she had no answer for what Gauff was throwing at her in the latter half of the third set.
It was a resilient performance from Gauff who ended the match playing well, but for the majority of the contest she lacked the consistency she is so desperately searching for.
What did Coco Gauff not like about her China Open semi-final performance?
Coco Gauff showed plenty of grit and determination as she dealt with Badosa’s weapons while trying to utilise her own on a consistent basis.
The world number six hit a total of 39 unforced errors in the contest as she tried to play more aggressively. However she was rewarded for this approach as Gauff registered 38 winners, 14 more than her opponent.
But the former US Open champion was able to raise her game as she saved four break points to not go down a double break in set two, before winning four of the next five games to send the match into a deciding set.
With the score locked at 2-2, Gauff surged to victory as she won the next four games to complete the win. Post-match Gauff was pleased with how she competed, but pointed out one of her biggest issues, the double faults.
“I feel like I was playing the right way the whole time, other than maybe a lot of double-faults,” said Gauff, who served 11 double faults against Badosa. “But other than that, I was playing the right way. Just missing sometimes. She was playing at a very high level.
“I was just trying to get on the scoreboard and keep trying to get points on the scoreboard. They turned into games. I was trying to stay in the moment.”
Coco Gauff goes in search of her eighth WTA title at the China Open
On Sunday Gauff will take on Karolina Muchova in the China Open final.
Gauff claimed her 20th victory at WTA 1000 level this season with her three-set win against Badosa.
The pair have played one another twice before and Gauff won on both occasions. These victories came during Gauff’s run to the 2023 Cincinnati Open and US Open titles.
Gauff has an impressive record of seven wins and just one loss in finals, with her only defeat coming against Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open.
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