- Coco Gauff is the third player to reach five WTA 1000 semifinals before turning 21
- In her last trip to Indian Wells, Gauff lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
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Coco Gauff will compete in her first BNP Paribas Open semifinal after defeating China’s Yue Yuan, 6-4, 6-3, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Gauff, who turned 20 on Wednesday, needed 94 minutes to defeat her 25-year-old counterpart in the first match of her career. With her spot in the semifinals secured, Gauff improved on her previous best performance in Indian Wells.
In her first two appearances at the WTA 1000 event, the American sensation reached the third round and lost in the quarterfinals last year to eventual runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.
Furthermore, her victory in the quarterfinals allowed Gauff to achieve her third victory after being behind in the tournament. In her previous matches against Clara Burel and Lucia Bronzetti, Gauff overcame odds on her way to victory.
After winning the first set against Yuan, Gauff trailed 3-1 in the second, facing three break points in a crucial fifth game that would have left her trailing 4-1. Gauff, however, managed to win with a four-deuces service game to keep Yuan at bay.
Coco Gauff will play her first semifinal in Indian Wells after defeating Yuan Yue on Thursday
Gauff secured the victory in straight sets and broke Yuan’s nine-game winning streak in the process.
The victory made Gauff the third player to reach five WTA 1000 semi-finals before turning 21.
With the victory, Gauff also broke Yuan’s nine-game winning streak.
Ranked No. 49, Yuan entered the tournament after her first title on the Hologic WTA Tour in Austin and upset victories over Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen and Daria Kasatkina.
Gauff is ranked No. 3 and will face the winner of Friday’s match between No. 9 seed Maria Sakkari and No. 24 seed Emma Navarro. Originally from Greece, Sakkari was runner-up at Indian Wells in 2022.
Thursday’s victory also means Gauff reached the semifinals, or better, in five of the tour’s WTA 1000 events. Her previous appearances were in Dubai, Beijing, Rome and her victory in Cincinnati last summer.
Gauff is now the third player to reach five WTA 1000 semi-finals before turning 21 since the format was introduced in 2009. She joins Caroline Wozniacki and Iga Swiatek, who made eight and five appearances, respectively.