In a match that showcased her trademark resilience, Coco Gauff dispatched Eva Lys 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the China Open. The defending champion, seeded second and ranked world No. 3, has now reached this stage in Beijing for the third consecutive year. Gauff's victory wasn't without its tense moments, but she ultimately blunted Lys's aggressive power game with sharp returns and steady baseline play.
Lys, the 66th-ranked German who entered as an unseeded player, put up a gritty fight after upsetting higher seeds in earlier rounds. Indeed, her run included three-set battles against the likes of Elena Rybakina and McCartney Kessler, building momentum that carried into the quarterfinals. Yet Gauff, fresh off a comeback win over Belinda Bencic in the previous round, refused to yield. She broke Lys early in the first set and held firm, converting on key points when it mattered most. The second set saw Lys push back with booming forehands, but Gauff's defense proved too solid, forcing errors at crucial junctures.
Gauff's stats underscored her dominance: 28 winners to Lys's 22, and just 19 unforced errors compared to the German's 28. This marks Gauff's second straight win over a tough opponent in the tournament, following her three-set thriller against Leylah Fernandez in the third round. For Lys, the loss ends a promising campaign, though it highlights her growing threat on the tour—something scouts have noted for months now.
However, Gauff's path forward isn't without hurdles. With top seeds like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek already out, the draw has opened up, but rivals remain sharp. Gauff spoke post-match about focusing on consistency, admitting the hard courts here suit her game but demand precision. Moreover, as she eyes a second title of 2025, the pressure builds subtly.
Still, in the broader scheme of the WTA season, such matches remind us how quickly fortunes can shift on these big stages.