Coco Gauff advanced to the China Open semi-finals on Thursday after defeating young German star Eva Lys.
Gauff was able to steady herself during the tumultuous contest before sealing the 6-3, 6-4 victory against Lys.
The American has struggled for form since capturing her maiden French Open title in June. However, the 21-year-old’s performances in China this week have shown signs of a return to her previous high level of play.
Gauff’s victory over Lys was more straightforward than her previous two matches, both of which were won in three sets.
After Gauff’s victory on Thursday, the two-time Grand Slam champion reflected on her week so far.
Coco Gauff hopes other WTA players think of her as a fighter
“Yeah, I mean, it’s been a lot of fight I think, for sure,” Gauff told reporters after the match.
“Obviously against Leylah [Fernandez], I’ve played her three times. This is for sure the best time I played her. She was playing great tennis. I had to get through that barely. Then the same with Belinda [Bencic]. Honestly, in the tiebreak, I got a little bit lucky hitting a let cord on one of those points.
“Just kind of fighting and staying in the match. Today I had to fight, but I was able to close it out on my serve, which is important for me, I think, for the long run.”
Later in the press conference, Gauff was asked by one reporter: “Looking ahead, what do you think, now that you’re into the business end of the tournament, that you need to really focus on and lock down on for potentially two more matches?
“In your first answer, you said the word ‘fight’ a lot as what [has] characterized your tournament so far.
“You’ve developed that reputation on the tour. Can you see that reputation having a competitive impact?
“Do you feel like players go into that match maybe knowing your fighting qualities and ability to pull these matches out?”
Gauff replied: “Yeah, I mean, these next two matches, obviously the further you go, the harder it’s going to get. In my next round I have two quality opponents. It’s going to be a fight for that.
“I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I hope so. I definitely think I’ve built, or have a lot of matches that have built that reputation for myself. I can’t quite know what my opponent is thinking.
“I definitely know on the physical side of things, a lot of people tonight want to go the distance with me.
“Yeah, I definitely think maybe some opponents think about that. But I don’t think everybody’s thinking that when they’re on the court.”
Gauff’s improvement on serve
Coco Gauff’s serving struggles have been well-documented.
During the North American hard-court swing, the American frequently hit double-digit double faults during matches.
Ahead of the US Open, Gauff enlisted the help of Gavin MacMillan, a biomechanics specialist who helped Aryna Sabalenka with her serving struggles.
It seems that MacMillan’s influence is having a positive effect.
As per Sofascore, Gauff made 77 per cent of her first serves against Eva Lys, winning 61 per cent of those points. She also won 53 per cent of her second serve points.
Most importantly, Gauff served just four double faults during the contest.
In the semi-finals, Gauff will face Amanda Anisimova, after the US Open finalist defeated Jasmine Paolini. Gauff has a 1-1 record against Anisimova, first defeating her compatriot at the 2021 Parma Open, before losing to her a year later at Wimbledon.
