In a match that showcased her defensive prowess, Coco Gauff defeated Eva Lys 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the China Open. The second-seeded American, defending her title from last year, extended her strong run in Beijing with this straightforward victory. Gauff, now 21 and ranked third in the world, has reached the last four here for the third consecutive time—a testament to her growing dominance on hard courts.
Lys, the 66th-ranked German, put up a fight early on, her powerful groundstrokes testing Gauff's backhand side. But Gauff settled in quickly, breaking serve in the first set at 4-3 and holding firm thereafter. The second set followed a similar pattern; Lys saved a few break points, yet Gauff's return game proved too much, sealing the win in just under 90 minutes. Indeed, it was Gauff's 12th straight win at this tournament, where she's dropped only one set so far this week.
However, the match wasn't without its tense moments. Lys, on a surprising hot streak after upsetting higher seeds like Elena Rybakina, unleashed some booming forehands that briefly rattled the crowd favorite. Gauff, though, absorbed the pressure with her trademark speed, turning defense into offense repeatedly. Key stats: Gauff won 78% of her first-serve points and converted 4 of 7 break opportunities. It's these efficiencies that have propelled her deep into the draw, especially with top players like Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka already out.
Moreover, Gauff's performance comes amid a busy fall swing, as she eyes another WTA 1000 title to bolster her year-end No. 1 aspirations. Lys, for her part, can take positives from a quarterfinal appearance—her best result of 2025 so far. Yet, the gap in experience showed, with Gauff's composure shining through in the clutch.
As Gauff prepares for her semifinal opponent, the tournament's intensity only heightens, leaving fans to wonder how far her Beijing streak can go.