Amanda Anisimova continued a stellar season in which she has finished as runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open by advancing to her second WTA 1000 final of the year, outclassing Coco Gauff, the defending champion, 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the China Open.
Seeded third in Beijing, the 24-year-old American now has a 2-1 edge in her head-to-head record against her compatriot Gauff.
Anisimova bludgeoned her way to a 5-0 advantage in the opening set before the second seed got on the board to make it 5-1. The second set unfolded in a similar fashion, with Anisimova building a commanding 5-0 lead. Although Gauff fought back to win the next two games, Anisimova sealed the victory in 58 minutes.
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“I was able to put on a really good performance and I knew I was going to have to play really well against Coco if I wanted to get the win. Iâ€m really excited to be in the final,†Anisimova said.
“Iâ€ve been saying every time Iâ€ve walked on court and won my match that I love playing here and the crowd support has been so amazing since the first day I got here. I really think thatâ€s carried me through this entire tournament. Hopefully everyone can come out and support me in the final.â€
Next up for the world No 4 is either the American fifth seed, Jessica Pegula, or the Czech 26th seed, Linda Noskova, who play in the second semi-final later on Saturday.
This report will update
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