French Open champion Coco Gauff advanced to the final of the Wuhan Open with a tough 6-4, 6-3 victory over seventh seed Jasmine Paolini.
The 21-year-old American reached her first final since her Roland Garros win despite a stuttering performance, which included five breaks of serve against her and seven double faults.
The match featured an extraordinary run of 11 straight breaks of serve.
“It was tough, especially playing on the serve, but I did what I needed to do to get through,” Gauff said.
Gauff will now face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka (who holds a 20-match winning streak in Wuhan) or fellow American Jessica Pegula for the title.
