Coco Gauff celebrates her comeback against Paula Badosa and reaches the final for the first time since January

Coco Gauff ended her recent losing streak with beatings on Saturday (October 5). Paula Badosa at the China Open in Beijing.

Gauff won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach a final for the first time since defending her Auckland title earlier in the year. She is now in front Karolina Muchova which continued its quarterfinal win over the top seed Aryna Sabalenka with a win in straight sets over the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

Despite three double faults in the opening game, Gauff managed to hold serve. She had two break points and led 3-1, but Badosa held on as both women were well below their best.

The following game was a microcosm of Gauff’s recent problems: a double fault and a few unforced forehand errors helped Badosa secure the break and take a 3-2 lead.

Gauff created many chances on Badosa’s serve and finally scored one in an epic eighth game. Seven break points came and went in front of her finally transformed in the eighth attempt equalize to 4-4.

The parity didn’t last long, however, as Badosa took advantage of some erratic shots from the baseline to make it 5-4 at 15. Gauff saved two set points, but another loose forehand handed the first frame to the 15th seed in just under an hour.

Badosa collapsed at the start of the second set and Gauff’s frustration grew. A poorly executed drop shot on the next game caused her to hit her foot hard with the bat.

In the eighth game, the US athlete finally earned a break opportunity and the 26-year-old netted a forehand to give her opponent a lifeline.

Badosa lost six games in a row and lost Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals of the US Open and showed a similar mental weakness here. After Gauff slipped, she missed an easy forehand to stay in the set and then hit two backhands into the net to give the fourth seed the second set.

Gauff broke again in the second game of the decider, making it for the sixth straight time, but then gave it right back. Then a poor service game from Badosa gave the 20-year-old a 3-1 lead, with last year’s US Open winner looking the more confident of the two. And after Badosa parried a first match point with an ace, Gauff completed the comeback when the Spaniard sent a long forehand.

After falling to sixth place in the world rankings, Gauff ended her collaboration with the coach Brad Gilbert last month. And although she struggled with her serve and forehand in Beijing, she reached her second WTA 1000 final after defeating Muchova and triumphing in Cincinnati last year.