Coco Gauff put in a stuttering performance in the Wuhan Open semi-finals but held her nerve to beat Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
The American continued her incredible form in China by earning a 6-4 6-3 victory in one hour and 23 minutes, booking her place in the showpiece.
There was little to split the pair in the first set, but in a match that saw 11 breaks of serve, it was Gauff who struck first.
She took a 4-2 lead, and though neither player was able to hold onto their serve in the remaining four games, Gauff held her nerve, taking the set at the first attempt.
And only twice in the second set did either player manage to avoid having their serve broken. The first six games saw them trade blows, with Paolini striking first, but Gauff managed a four-game winning streak that turned the tide.
Paolini managed to hold off the first two match points she faced, but was unable to stop the third.
Gauff will now face either Aryna Sabalenka or compatriot Jessica Pegula in Sunday's final.
Data Debrief: No stopping Gauff in China
At 21 years and 207 days, Gauff is the youngest player to have made the final at both the China Open and Wuhan Open.
And she has particularly impressed at the latter, dropping just 16 games to reach the final; it is the fewest games dropped to reach the showpiece of the event since its inception in 2014.
Gauff had to work hard to get through the final four, though, after hitting seven double faults. She also won 53% of first serve points (17/32), but just 17% on second serve (2/12).
That will not matter to Gauff, though, as her first win over Paolini in 2025 saw her reach her third WTA 1000 final of the year.
