On Friday, the No 2 seed, Ann Li from the United States, reached her 3rd semi-final of 2025 with a straight-sets defeat of Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the WTA 250 Guangzhou Open quarter-finals.
Li needed an hour and 24 minutes to get past the Italian, 6-3 6-4, setting up a Last 4 encounter with home favourite, Zhang Shuai, who battled past another American, qualifier Katie Volynets, 7-6(5) 5-7 7-5.
The Chinese wild-card, who is 36 years old, prevailed after 2 hours and 53 minutes to reach her first tour-level semi-final since Tokyo 2022.
Zhang, the 2013 and 2017 Guangzhou champion, first served for the match at 5-4 in the second set, and improved her career against Volynets to 2-0 overall.
A third American, Claire Liu, who is ranked 305 and also had to qualify, came from a set down to defeat Germany’s Ella Seidel, 4-6 6-0 6-4, in their 2 hour 3 minute quarter-final.
Liu, who held off a late charge by the German from a break down in the decider, advanced to her 4th career tour-level semi-final, which is her 2nd on hard courts, and 1st since Budapest in July 2023.
Waiting for Liu in the semi-finals is another qualifier finding form, Lulu Sun of New Zealand, who also came from a set down to defeat America’s Caty McNally, 3-6 6-3 6-4, after an hour and 57 minutes on Friday.
Sun advances to her 2nd career tour-level semi-final, following Monterrey in 2024.
