
Coco Gauff says she expects "a fight" against Amanda Anisimova but also highlights she is known as "a fighter" and therefore will be ready.
On Thursday, Gauff ousted rising star Eva Lys 6-3 6-4 to reach the semifinal of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing. While the American routinely got the job done against Lys, that wasn't really the case earlier in the tournament since she needed nearly three hours to edge out Leylah Fernandez in a three-set thriller, and she also had to come back from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic.
As a reward for her efforts, Gauff - who is the defending champion in Beijing - is now two wins away from repeating as champion at the China Open. After the American beat Lys, the next on the court were No. 3 seed Anisimova and Jasmine Paolini, and the third-seeded American won 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-4.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gauff on her semifinal expectation: I expect a fight but I have built a reputation of being a fighter
Yeah, I mean, these next two matches, obviously the further you go, the harder its going to get. In my next round I have two quality opponents. Its going to be a fight for that. I mean, maybe. I dont know. I hope so. I definitely think Ive built, or have a lot of matches that have built that reputation for myself," the 21-year-old American said.
"I cant quite know what my opponent is thinking. I definitely know on the physical side of things, a lot of people tonight want to go the distance with me. I definitely think maybe some opponents think about that. But I dont think everybodys thinking that when theyre on the court.
ADVERTISEMENT
A bit interestingly, Gauff and Anisimova haven't played against each other in more than three years - the current world No. 3 won their 2021 Parma meeting, while Anisimova claimed a win in their 2022 Eastbourne match.