Anisimova Beats Gauff, Advances to China Open Final

Amanda Anisimova, the third seed and world No. 4, defeated defending champion Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-2 in the China Open semifinal in 58 minutes. She raced to 5-0 leads in both sets and lost only five points on her first serve while Gauff made uncharacteristic errors and five double faults. The victory gives Anisimova a 2-1 head-to-head edge over Gauff and sends her into her second WTA 1000 final of the year. Anisimova, who was runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open this season and won Doha earlier in the year, thanked the Beijing crowd and said she was "really excited" to reach the final. She will face either Jessica Pegula or Linda Noskova in the China Open final on Sunday, where she will vie for her second title of the season.