Coco Gauff continued her spectacular type within the build-up to the Australian Open by reaching the ultimate of the Auckland Basic.
US Open champion Gauff, 19, beat fellow American Emma Navarro 6-3 6-1 within the semi-finals.
The world quantity three, who’s defending the Auckland title she gained in 2023, will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in Sunday’s remaining.
The Australian Open begins in Melbourne on 14 January.
Svitolina wanted two medical timeouts in her 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory towards the unseeded Wang Xiyu.
Gauff has not dropped a set all through the event in New Zealand and her type suggests she is on track to enhance her Australian Open document, by which she has by no means made it previous the fourth spherical.
“I used to be simply being aggressive, with my serve and my return,” mentioned Gauff.
“We performed a apply set earlier than the event began and she or he was enjoying very well so I knew it needed to be my greatest sport if I wished to win.
“It is undoubtedly a superb begin to my 2024. Emma is an unbelievable participant.”
Elsewhere, Briton Harriet Dart misplaced the most important remaining of her profession so far as she was overwhelmed in straight units by Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz within the remaining of the Canberra Worldwide – an occasion one rung beneath the total WTA Tour.
Dart, 27, will now participate in Australian Open qualifying, which begins on Monday.
On the Brisbane Worldwide, Heather Watson missed out on a sixth WTA doubles title when she and her Beligian associate Greet Minnen have been overwhelmed in straight units by Jelena Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok, however Lloyd Glasspool and Dutch associate Jean-Julien Rojer reached Sunday’s males’s doubles remaining.
Additionally in Brisbane, Denmark’s Holger Rune confronted robust opposition from unseeded Roman Safiullin however finally secured his place within the males’s remaining with a 6-4 7-6 (7-0) win.
Russia’s Safiullin fought again from a set down earlier than world quantity eight Rune dominated the tiebreak to substantiate a remaining place towards both Bulgarian second seed Grigor Dimitrov or Australia’s Jordan Thompson, who beat Rafael Nadal in Friday’s quarter-final.
World quantity 4 Elena Rybakina comfortably beat Czech teenager Linda Noskova 6-3 6-2 to achieve the ladies’s remaining and can face both Aryna Sabalenka or Victoria Azarenka on Sunday.