Caty McNally reaches D.C. semis; into doubles final with Coco Gauff

Caty McNally is making the most of her wild card opportunities at the Citi Open. The 17-year-old put together a stellar Friday in Washington D.C., advancing to her first WTA singles semifinal before clinching a spot in the doubles final with Cori "Coco" Gauff.

McNally first upset fourth seed Hsieh Su-wei, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. The Cincinnati, OH native impressed on her second serve return, coming away with 68 percent of points to assert herself against the world No. 31. On her first match point, McNally stepped into a backhand return and charged forward, forcing one final error off of Hsieh’s racquet to secure the win in 82 minutes.

After receiving ample rest, McNally returned to partner Gauff to a clinical 6-1, 6-2 victory over third seeds Anna Kalinskaya and Miyu Kato in just 49 minutes, At last year's US Open, McNally and Gauff joined forces to win the girls' doubles championship. Kalinskaya will look to bounce back in her singles semifinal against Jessica Pegula, having topped Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

McNally came into this tournament ranked No. 150 but will surge to a career-high ranking inside the Top 130 as a result of her D.C. performance. A victory over Camila Giorgi on Saturday would put the former Roland Garros girls' finalist within striking distance of cracking the Top 100. Earlier this season, McNally captured her biggest singles crown by lifting the ITF W100 trophy in Midland, MI.