Dhaka, Oct. 4 -- 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."I'm happy with how I played. She's a tough opponent and she hit some incredible shots on the run, but I tried my best to play aggressive and good tennis," said Gauff, who is seeded third."I think staying confident in my game [was important]. 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."The 21-year-old American, who has struggled with her serve at times th...