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. Gauff, a two-time Grand Slam winner, broke Lys' serve three times in the opening set. Not being too passive when I had the lead, I played one passive point in the last game but after that I played good tennis." She will face American compatriot Amanda Anisimova - runner-up at Wimbledon and the US Open this year - in the last four.