Tennis star Coco Gauff is into the last four of the 2024 Indian Wells women’s singles, where she will face Maria Sakkari of Greece on Friday night.

The 20-year-old beat Yue Yuan in the quarter-finals of the competition, to bettter her performance at the BNP Paribas Open from last year, where she fell at the last eight stage.

Seeded third in the competition, Gauff beat Clara Burel in the Round of 64 before knocking out Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets.

Gauff saw off Belgium’s Elise Mertens in the Round of 16, which set up her eventual victory over Yuan in the quarters.

She is now just two wins away from becoming the first American woman to win the singles event at this WTA Tour tournament since 2001.

Serena Williams was the last to do so, and came closest to repeating the feat in recent years when she reached the final in 2016 but was subsequently pipped to the top of the podium.

Ninth seed Sakkari beat another American, Emma Navarro in the quarter-finals.

The Indian Wells Open is considered by some as an unofficial fifth grand slam tournament, with men’s and women’s singles and doubles competitions taking place on hard courts in California.