Aryna Sabalenka reveals ‘focus’ ahead of crunch Coco Gauff clash in Wuhan

Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka has revealed her “focus” will be on an aggressive mindset when she takes on Coco Gauff for a place in the Wuhan Open final.

World No 2 Sabalenka extended her perfect Wuhan record with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory over Magdalena Frech on Friday, with the two-time champion now holding a 15-0 record at the WTA 1000 event.

However, she will face the toughest test of her title quest on Saturday against Gauff, who has now won nine matches in a row.

The American came into this event after winning the second WTA 1000 title of her career at the China Open, and is yet to drop a set in Wuhan.

Gauff dropped just four games in a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Magda Linette on Friday, and has a narrow 4-3 lead in her head-to-head versus Sabalenka.

The world No 4 won their most famous meeting in the US Open final a year ago, though Sabalenka won their last clash – in the Australian Open semi-finals earlier this year.

The Belarusian is looking to once again put pressure on the US star by rushing her and coming into the net to finish points, a tactic that worked for her in Melbourne.

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Sabalenka said: “I think the main thing is, once again, focus on myself, focus on my footwork, go to the net, finish the point [up] there.

“On this slow surface, you have to be brave enough and finish the point there. I think that’s the main plan. It worked really well in our last meeting, so I’ll just stick to the plan.

“I’ll try to put as much pressure as possible on her.”

Sabalenka and Gauff’s rivalry has been a compelling one ever since they first met at the Lexington Open four years ago. Gauff, only 16 at the time, won that in three sets and held a 3-1 advantage in the head-to-head early on, though Sabalenka has won two of their last three matches.

The Belarusian’s momentum may have stalled slightly following her China Open loss to Karolina Muchova, but she has been in fine form in recent months, winning the US Open and Cincinnati Open titles.

However, Gauff’s new partnership with Matt Daly has started brightly, and this promises to be a hard-fought and hugely intriguing encounter.

Victory for Sabalenka would boost her advantage over world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the race to finish the year atop the WTA Rankings.

She sits at 8,481 points in the WTA Live Race, with Swiatek on 8,285 points.

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