Defending champion Coco Gauff beat Eva Lys in straight sets to reach her third consecutive China Open semi-final. The world number three took one hour and 28 minutes to overcome her German opponent 6-3 6-4. Gaff, a two-time Grand Slam winner, broke Lys three times in the opening set, converting three of her four break point opportunities. Guaff, who was knocked out of the opening round of Wimbledon after winning the French Open earlier this year, is now the highest-ranked player left in the competition. Anisimova, seeded second, came from a set down to beat Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 6-4 and will play in her sixth semi-final appearance of the year.