Aug 11 (Reuters) - Coco ⁠Gauff advanced to the Canadian ⁠Open semi-finals on Tuesday without striking ‌a ball after Belinda Bencic withdrew from their quarter-final with a hip injury, giving the ​American more time to ⁠fine-tune her game ⁠ahead of the U.S. Open.

The fourth-seeded Gauff, the ⁠2023 ‌U.S. Open champion, will face either 11th seed Naomi ⁠Osaka or second seed Elena Rybakina ​for a ‌place in the Toronto final.

The walkover ⁠sends the ​22-year-old into the 16th WTA 1000 semi-final of her career as she ⁠chases her first title in ​a year following a series of close calls.

Gauff finished runner-up in Miami and ⁠Rome before her Wimbledon campaign ended in a tight semi-final defeat, denying her a potentially favorable path to the ​title.

Gauff has introduced new ⁠tactical elements to her game and ​has looked strong in ‌Toronto, where she has ​not dropped a set.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Tom Hogue)