Coco Gauff ended her final drought on Saturday (5 October) by beating Paula Badosa at the China Open in Beijing.

Gauff won 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach a first final since retaining her Auckland title at the start of the year. She now faces Karolina Muchova who followed up her quarter-final win against top seed Aryna Sabalenka with a straight-sets victory over Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

Despite serving three double faults in the opening game, Gauff managed to hold serve. She had two break points to lead 3-1, but Badosa held firm with both women some way below their best.

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

Gauff created plenty of chances on Badosa’s serve and eventually made one count in an epic eighth game. Seven break points came and went before she finally converted on the eighth attempt to level at 4-4.

Parity did not last long, however, as Badosa capitalised on some wayward hitting from the baseline to break to 15 for 5-4. Gauff saved two set points, but another loose forehand handed the first frame to the 15th seed in just under an hour.

Badosa broke at the start of the second set with Gauff’s frustration growing. A poorly executed drop shot in the next game prompted her to strike her foot hard with her racket.

The U.S. athlete finally created a break opportunity in the eighth game, and the 26-year-old netted a forehand to give her opponent a lifeline.

Badosa dropped six games in succession to lose to Emma Navarro in the US Open quarter-finals, and showed similar mental frailty here. Serving to stay in the set, she missed an easy forehand after Gauff had slipped and then dumped two backhands into the net to gift the fourth seed the second set.

Gauff broke again in the second game of the decider to make it six games in a row but then handed it straight back. Then a poor service game from Badosa gave the 20-year-old a 3-1 lead with last year’s US Open champion looking the more confident of the two. And after Badosa had saved a first match point with an ace, Gauff completed the comeback when the Spaniard sent a forehand long.

Having dropped to sixth in the world rankings, Gauff ended her working relationship with coach Brad Gilbert last month. And despite struggling with her serve and forehand in Beijing, she has reached her second WTA 1000 final after beating Muchova to triumph in Cincinnati last year.