Amanda Anisimova surges to China Open final after outclassing Coco Gauff

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.

“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. I’m really excited to be in the final,” Anisimova said.

“I’ve been saying every time I’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 that’s carried me through this entire tournament. Hopefully everyone can come out and support me in the final.”

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