The American third seed had lost all three meetings she had with Paolini in 2025 but turned things around with a 6-4, 6-3 victory to book a final showdown with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka or sixth seed Jessica Pegula.
“It was 3-0 this year but I think our head-to-head is even now,” said Gauff of her record against Italy’s Paolini.
“I’m really happy with how I played today, it was tough, especially playing on the serve, but I did what I needed to do to get through.”
In a semi-final dominated by the return, Gauff edged Paolini by the slimmest of margins.
A run of 11 consecutive breaks of serve swung the momentum like a pendulum but it was Gauff who finally held serve in game seven of the second set en route to an 82-minute victory.
The 21-year-old is through to the fifth WTA 1000 final of her career, and third in 2025.
“I’ve played a couple of finals this year, so I have a lot of experience. But regardless of what happens tomorrow, I’m really happy with the effort I’ve put in this tournament.”
For Paolini a title run in Wuhan would have secured her place in next month’s WTA Finals in Riyadh.
Currently occupying the eighth spot in the Race to the WTA Finals, Paolini will have to seal her qualification at one of the remaining two tournaments of the season, in Ningbo or Tokyo over the next couple of weeks. (AFP)
