Coco Gauff reaches 1st clay final in Parma, faces Wang Qiang

PARMA, Italy (AP) — Coco Gauff reached her first clay-court final by beating Katerina Siniakova 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 on Friday at the Emilia-Romagna Open.

It's a second career WTA final for the 17-year-old American, who reached her first semifinal on clay last week at the Italian Open. She is gearing up for the French Open, which starts May 30.

Siniakova eliminated Serena Williams in the second round.

In Saturday’s final, Gauff will face 48th-ranked Wang Qiang, who defeated former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-2, 7-6 (3).

Wang trailed 5-1 in the second set before rallying to close it out.

Gauff is aiming for her second career title, having won her only previous final in Lienz, Austria, in 2019. She improved to 11-3 on clay this year.

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