Defending champion Gauff reaches Auckland final

Coco Gauff continued her impressive form in the build-up to the Australian Open by reaching the final of the Auckland Classic.

US Open champion Gauff, 19, beat fellow American Emma Navarro 6-3 6-1 in the semi-finals.

The world number three, who is defending the Auckland title she won in 2023, will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in Sunday’s final.

Svitolina needed two medical timeouts in her 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory against the unseeded Wang Xiyu.

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Gauff has not dropped a set throughout the tournament in New Zealand and her form suggests she is on course to improve her Australian Open record, in which she has never made it past the fourth round.