Coco Gauff believes she has proven to herself that she is going in the "right direction" after winning the China Open in Beijing.

Gauff triumphed 6-1 6-3 in Sunday's final, beating Karolina Muchova in just 76 minutes to claim her second title of 2024, after winning the Auckland Open in January.

She is also now the first player to win each of her first seven WTA hard-court finals in the Open Era.

However, after winning the Cincinnati Open and her maiden grand slam at the US Open last year, Gauff struggled at the start of the hard court swing this time around.

After an early exit at the Paris Olympics, she only won once across at Toronto and Cincinnati before seeing her US Open title defence ended in the last 16 by Emma Navarro.

"Everybody can do everything in practice," Gauff told WTA Insider. "This time, when the pressure is on the line, I was just trying to force myself to do things I was uncomfortable with.

"So yeah, I think the result is now reassurance that I am in the right direction.

"A lot of times people forget that I'm still in the developmental phase of my career and nothing is going to be great.

"Most of the people doing well are 25 and older in the top 10, maybe with the exception of Iga [Swiatek]. We have a long way to go, and I still have a lot that I need to work on, and I'm proud of myself thus far.

"I didn't have a complete game at 15, and I don't have one right now, but I've been on tour playing every week almost, trying to be better. I'm just super proud of that."

Gauff will be in action next at the Wuhan Open, making her first appearance at the tournament. 

Coco Gauff said her China Open triumph over Karolina Muchova came down to being relaxed.

Gauff won 6-1 6-3 in just 76 minutes in Beijing to become the youngest winner of the tournament in 14 years.

The victory marked the 20-year-old's second WTA 1000 title, which makes her the second-youngest player since the format was introduced to win her first two finals.

And Gauff explained she took a more relaxed approach in Sunday's showdown.

"I was just like, 'This match is not going to change my life.' I knew regardless of the result today, I was proud. I was able to overcome and still work on things that I've been practising on, too, and stick to it," she said.

"When you get that far, you're just happy to be in the final. I think it's just being relaxed. My first final, when I was 15, was the worst because you're like, 'I'm never going to get this opportunity again,' which is completely not true.

"The experience of winning in the past, I realise that, yes, winning is great. It feels great right now. But tomorrow I'm going to wake up and it's a different day, 70% of the world doesn't know anything about whether I won or lost, probably even more."

Gauff has now claimed three straight wins over Muchova, who is yet to beat the American.

"I lost to her three times in a row. I'll say very similar losses. It was always the latest rounds of the tournaments when I got many matches under the belt," said Muchova.

"It's very physical with her. I felt like second [best] always in the rallies."

Coco Gauff claimed the China Open title in emphatic fashion on Sunday, bringing up her second WTA Tour trophy of the season.

The world number six defeated US Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova 6-1 6-3 in just 76 minutes to be crowned the youngest winner of the China Open in 14 years.

Gauff swiftly broke the Czech's serve to propel herself into a 2-0 lead before going on to dominate the first set, which lasted only half-an-hour.

Muchova looked to be surmounting a comeback in the second set, breaking immediately, but Gauff fought straight back, and the American broke Muchova once more to race to victory in Beijing.

It was an impressive win against an opponent who had defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen en route to the final. Gauff played 24 winning shots but restricted the world number 49 to just 14.

It marked Gauff's second WTA 1000 title, making her the second-youngest player since the format was introduced to win her first two finals, only older than Bianca Andreescu.

Data Debrief: Gauff a proven winner

Gauff, who was playing her 101st WTA 1000 match, is now the first player to win each of her first seven WTA hard-court finals in the Open Era.

Her victory meant she became the second American player to win the women's singles title at the China Open after Serena Williams (in 2004 and 2013 since the inception of the tournament in 2004.

Gauff has now defeated Muchova in all three meetings in WTA events, previously beating her at the US Open and Cincinnati Open in 2023.

Coco Gauff recovered from a set and a break down to reach the China Open final with a 4-6 6-4 6-2 victory over Paula Badosa on Saturday.

Having given up an early break in the opener, Gauff got one of her own by converting her eighth break point in a mammoth eighth game featuring 10 deuces, only for Badosa to hit back immediately to go a set up.

Gauff lost serve immediately in the second set to go on the back foot, only to level the match with back-to-back breaks, the second of them to love.

The decider began with a series of breaks, Gauff taking two of them as the momentum swung her way, then she protected her lead all the way to reach her first final since winning January's Auckland Open.

The 20-year-old is the youngest player to reach the women's singles final at the China Open since Caroline Wozniacki in 2010.

She has fought from a set down to win in each of her last three matches, the first time she has done so in her career. She is the first player to do so in WTA-1000 events since Iga Swiatek at Indian Wells 2022.

Data Debrief: Gauff brings up century

Saturday's match was Gauff's 100th at WTA 1000-level events, and her 67th such victory.

Among American players, only Serena Williams (87), Venus Williams and Jessica Pegula (70) have bettered her 67 wins through their first 100 matches at such events.

Karolina Muchova secured an upset at the China Open, snapping Aryna Sabalenka's 15-match winning streak to reach the semi-finals.

The Czech prevailed in two hours and 48 minutes with a 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-4 win over the number one seed on Friday.

Muchova started strong, forcing Sabalenka to defend three break points in the opening game, but they were evenly matched throughout.

Sabalenka almost took the first set, but Muchova held her nerve, successfully fighting back against two set points before taking the tie-break.

The Belarusian looked back to her free-flowing best in the second though, earning two breaks as she forced the decider in comfortable fashion.

Sabalenka took an early lead in the final set, but from 4-2 down, Muchova clawed her way back, going on a four-game winning streak at the end to book a meeting with Qinwen Zheng or Mirra Andreeva in the final four. 

Data Debrief: Czech mate

Given Sabalenka's recent hot streak, this does look like an upset, but it is actually pretty run-of-the-mill for Muchova.

She has now won her last three matches against Sabalenka in WTA events, defeating her at Cincinnati, Roland Garros 2023 and China Open 2024. 

Excluding the BJK Cup, only Iga Swiatek (85.3%) has a higher winning percentage than Muchova on hard-court in WTA events during 2024 (84.6%, 11-2), surpassing Sabalenka (82.5%, 33-7).

The 28-year-old has reached just her second career semi-final and is the player with the fewest WTA-1000 wins during the season before the start of the China Open (one) to reach this stage of the tournament.

Coco Gauff came from behind to defeat Yuliia Starodubtseva and reach the semi-finals of the China Open.

Gauff was no match for the qualifier in the first set of Thursday's tie, but the American rallied back to win 2-6 6-2 6-2.

The world number six will face Paula Badosa, the 15th seed, on Saturday.

She is vying for a place in her first final since she triumphed in Auckland in January, and her first at a WTA 1000 event since she won the Cincinnati Open in 2023.

Data Debrief: Comeback queen

Including retirements, Gauff (two) has achieved multiple match wins from a set down at a single WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career, and for the first time at a single WTA event overall since last year's US Open.

Since the format's inception in 2009, meanwhile, only Caroline Wozniacki (eight) has reached more WTA 1000 semi-finals than Coco Gauff (seven) before turning 21. World number one Iga Swiatek (five) is the only other player to reach 5+ semi-finals over that span.

Badosa stands between Gauff and the final. She beat home hope Zhang Shuai in the quarters, and became the second Spaniard to reach the semi-finals of the China Open since the inception of the tournament in 2004 after Garbine Muguruza in 2015.

She is the second oldest player to reach the semi-finals of the China Open in their maiden appearance after Amelie Mauresmo in 2006.

Carlos Alcaraz described Jannik Sinner as "a beast" and the world's best player after downing the Italian in Wednesday's remarkable China Open final.

Alcaraz and Sinner battled it out for over three hours in the Beijing showpiece match, with Alcaraz eventually triumphing 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The Spaniard took the decisive tie-break with a remarkable run of seven straight points, having lost a tie-break in the opening set to fall behind.

At the age of 21 years and 150 days, Alcaraz is the youngest player to defeat the world number one in an ATP event final after losing the opening set since Juan Martin del Potro (20 years, 356 days), who came back to beat Roger Federer at the US Open in 2009.

Speaking after his sixth career win over the Italian (four defeats), Alcaraz outlined his belief he had overcome the very best in the sport.

"He could have won in two, I could have won in two, he could have won in three. It was a really close match," said Alcaraz. 

"Jannik, once again, he showed that he's the best player in the world, at least for me. 

"The level that he's playing, it's unbelievable. It's a really high quality of tennis. His shots, physically, mentally... he's a beast."

Sinner breezed into a 3-0 lead in the third-set tie-break, only for Alcaraz to show extraordinary resilience to maintain his 100% record against Sinner this year, having previously beaten him at Indian Wells and Roland Garros.

"I never lost hope. Honestly I knew that every tie-break Jannik plays is almost on his side," Alcaraz said of the decider. 

"I thought that in the third set, I'm not going to lie down after two mini-breaks for him. I thought, 'okay, I have to give everything that I have just to try to give myself the opportunity to be close'.

"During the whole week I've been playing great tennis. Probably sometimes the luck went to my side a little bit in the matches."

Carlos Alcaraz struck seven successive points in a deciding tie-break to seal a remarkable victory over world number one Jannik Sinner in the China Open final.

The leading lights of tennis' next generation of stars battled it out for well over three hours in Beijing on Wednesday before Alcaraz finally prevailed 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

Having cruised into a 5-2 lead in the opening set, Alcaraz wobbled to allow defending champion Sinner to reel off four of the next five games to force a tie-break that the Italian won with three breaks of serve.

An hour-long second set was settled in Alcaraz's favour, but a topsy-turvy decider went the distance.

Having given up the first break, Sinner responded by hitting back in game eight to restore parity, with another tie-break required.

Sinner breezed into a 3-0 lead, only for Alcaraz to string together an extraordinary run of seven straight points to claim the crown.

Data Debrief: King Carlos

It is now 6-4 to Alcaraz in the head-to-head between the Spaniard and Sinner.

Alcaraz has now won all three of their matches this season, triumphing previously at both Indian Wells and Roland-Garros. It is the first time either of the duo has won three straight matches against the other.

At the age of 21 years and 150 days, Alcaraz is the youngest player to defeat the world number one in an ATP event final after losing the opening set since Juan Martin del Potro (20y 356d), who came back to beat Roger Federer at the US Open in 2009.

Naomi Osaka was forced to retire from her China Open meeting with Coco Gauff due to a lower back injury, sending the American through to the quarter-finals.

Osaka, who was aiming for her fourth successive win after returning from maternity leave, had earlier caused Gauff plenty of problems as she took the opening set.

After a series of breaks to open the match, Osaka went into the changeover 3-2 up but received treatment on her back after appearing to struggle with her movement.

Some error-prone play by Gauff allowed Osaka to clinch a third break before serving out the opener, but she swiftly gave up a break to go behind in the second set.

Gauff ultimately edged a hard-fought, 51-minute second set featuring several more breaks, with Osaka retiring before the decider could get underway, having struggled to land her first serves in the latter stages.

Gauff now advances to the China Open quarter-finals for the second year in a row, with Ukraine's Yulia Starodubtsewa up next for the world number six.

Fellow American and second seed Jessica Pegula, meanwhile, was beaten in straight sets by Paula Badosa, who will face home favourite Zhang Shuai in the last eight.

Data Debrief: Twenty up for Gauff

The victory may not have come in the manner she envisaged, but Gauff has brought up her 20th career win over a former grand slam champion on the WTA Tour.

Since 2000, Gauff is the fifth player to achieve 20 such wins before turning 21, along with Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters (28 each), Martina Hingis (24) and Serena Williams (22).

Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster China Open final after the Italian downed home favourite Buyunchaokete in the last four.

Sinner, who overcame Daniil Medvedev in last year's final in Beijing, beat Buyunchaokete 6-3 7-6 (7-3) on Tuesday, extending his winning streak to 15 matches.

Buyunchaokete did well when standing up to Sinner in baseline rallies early on, also impressing when under pressure by saving eight of the nine break points he faced.

Sinner did manage to break six games into the opener, however, and he drew on all his experience in the second-set tie-break, surging into a 6-1 lead before seeing out his two-hour, seven-minute victory.

Sinner has won four of his nine head-to-head meetings with final opponent Alcaraz, beating him in their only previously final clash for the Umag Trophy in 2022.

"Of course, tomorrow is going to be completely different," Sinner said. "We know each other very well. It's going to be tactical, but I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm happy to be here again in the final. My season is going very, very well and playing finals is always great. I just hope tomorrow is going to be a good match from both of us."

Data Debrief: Sinner stands alone

Since the start of 2023, Sinner (13/23) has reached the final on 56.5% of his ATP main-draw entries on hard courts.

He has now surpassed Novak Djokovic (54.5%, 6/11) for the highest rate on the surface over that span, among players with a minimum of 10 tournaments entered.

Carlos Alcaraz is through to the China Open final after powering past Daniil Medvedev in straight sets on Tuesday.

The Spaniard prevailed 7-5 6-3 in the semi-final in Beijing in 86 minutes, extending his hard-court hot streak.

The pair were evenly matched in the opening exchanges and traded breaks, with Medvedev defending three of the six break points he faced in the first set, as both failed to find an early edge.

Eventually, Alcaraz nosed in front, winning the last three games in a row to take the lead.

The second set followed a similar story, though Medvedev would lose his serve in the fifth game, giving himself a mountain to climb.

Alcaraz stayed in control after that, even as the Russian valiantly defended three match points in the final game, setting up a meeting with either reigning champion Jannik Sinner or home wild card Bu Yunchaokete.

Data Debrief: Coming in hot

Alcaraz has won each of his last eight tour-level matches and is in strong form as he bids to finish the year as world number one. 

This win over Medvedev moves him to a record of 7-1 against ATP top-five opponents this year, surpassing Sinner (six) for the outright most ATP top-five wins of any player so far in 2024. 

Naomi Osaka is confident she will be able to gain control of her tie with Coco Gauff at the China Open.

Osaka defeated Katie Volynets 6-3 6-2 on Monday to progress to the last 16 in Beijing.

And the four-time grand slam champion's reward was a meeting with world number six Gauff.

The duo have played each other on four occasions, splitting the head-to-head record with two wins each, though their last meeting came in 2022, with Gauff winning in straight sets.

"She's very athletic obviously. For me, my strongest traits are being aggressive and also my serve," Osaka said.

"So it's definitely going to be a battle - who wants to take control of the point first? And I think it's going to be me."

Osaka's tie with Gauff will represent the first time two former grand slam winners will meet in the last 16 at the China Open since 2016, when Petra Kvitova overcame Garbine Muguruza.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka also sealed her progress on Monday, beating American Ashlyn Krueger 6-2 6-2.

"Control over my emotions, that's the key," said US Open champion Sabalenka, who will face Kruger's compatriot Madison Keys in the next round.

"Before it felt like if I'm not going to win this match, something bad is going to happen. I'm going to die," she explained.

"Nowadays I'm just working hard, I'm trying to improve myself every day. Every time I'm on the court, I'm trying to give my best. If you give your best but you didn't win the match, it's okay."

Sabalenka has now registered 800 winners in WTA 1000 tournaments during 2024, while she is the only woman during the Open Era to register a win percentage of over 80% in WTA tournaments held in China (81.3%, 39-9, minimum10 matches played).

Jannik Sinner reached the last four of the China Open after defeating Jiri Lehecka 6-2 7-6 (8-6) on Monday.

The world number one will face Bu Yunchaokete in the semi-finals in Beijing, with a final against Carlos Alcaraz an intriguing prospect.

In the process, Sinner brought up his 58th win of the season, seeing him surpass Alexander Zverev as the player with the most TATP our-level wins in 2024.

"We always try to improve day by day and I feel like the result is coming in what level you’re playing throughout the season, how consistent you are as a player," said Sinner, who has now reeled off 14 successive victories.

"You also have to be ready mentally to do that. So we just try to stay in the present moment.

"We know what we have done this season, which is great for me. But every match we see we can improve, which is very good."

Data Debrief: The Italian job

Sinner has now become the first Italian in the Open Era to reach 10+ ATP event semi-finals in back-to-back seasons.

His next opponent, Bu, meanwhile, stunned Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-4.

Bu is the first Chinese player to claim multiple ATP top 20 wins at a single event on hard court, and the first player representing the host nation to reach the last four at the China Open.

Carlos Alcaraz will face Daniil Medvedev in a blockbuster China Open semi-final matchup after downing Karen Khachanov in the last eight.

The four-time grand slam champion needed just 96 minutes on court to beat Khachanov 7-5 6-2, easing through the second set after fending off some early pressure.

Alcaraz, who registered his 200th career victory last time out against Tallon Griekspoor, went a break up five games into the opener but was immediately pegged back, only to convert his seventh break point to seize the initiative once more. 

Back-to-back breaks midway through the second set then did the trick for Alcaraz, who dropped just two points on his own serve after clinching the opener.

The 21-year-old, whose victory saw him leapfrog Alexander Zverev to go second in the ATP rankings, said: "I always try to be aggressive, hitting strong shots, and I feel like I'm not afraid to show that. 

"That's what I'm feeling right now. In the past matches, everything went well, and I'm not letting my opponents show their best tennis. That's what I like and what I want in every match."

He will face Medvedev for a place in the final after the Russian registered his own straight-sets win over Flavio Cobolli on Monday.

Medvedev was forced to save 10 of 11 break points during his 6-2 6-4 win, which was far more competitive than the scoreline suggested.

Data Debrief: Medvedev's hard-court mastery 

Since the start of the 2020 season, Medvedev has now registered 186 ATP victories at hard-court events.

That is the most of any player on the surface and puts him some 22 wins clear of second-placed Jannik Sinner, who is a potential final opponent if he can overcome Alcaraz in the last four.

Coco Gauff claimed her 47th hard-court win in WTA-1000 matches with a straight-sets victory over Katie Boulter in the third round at the China Open.

The American now has the most wins on the surface before turning 21 and needed just 85 minutes to see off her opponent, prevailing 7-5 6-2 on Sunday.

Gauff looked set to sail through the first set after breaking Boulter’s serve in the sixth game and taking a 5-2 lead, but the Brit fought back to level the score.

Gauff, who served four of her five aces in the opening set, rallied to win the final two games, with Boulter failing to stop her from converting set point on the third time of asking.

Back in her groove, the world number three cruised through the second, which included three love games, to book a meeting with either Naomi Osaka or fellow American Katie Volynets in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Out on her own

Gauff's win over Clara Burel in the last round pulled her level with Caroline Wozniacki for the joint-most WTA-1000 match wins on hard court before the age of 21 since the format's introduction in 2009.

But she made light work of pushing herself top of that list as she stormed through, dropping her serve just once in the contest.

Gauff (100) has also become the second player to record 100+ break-point conversions at WTA-1000 events in 2024, along with Iga Swiatek (145), getting four out of a possible seven against Boulter.