World No.4 Coco Gauff has been out of form for quite some time now. Despite showing promising signs in her last appearance, making it to the quarterfinal stage of Stuttgart, she failed to go beyond. But hey, that’s in the past now. It’s time to focus on the new challenge in Madrid. Seems like the 2024 WTA Finals winner is slowly, but steadily regaining her rhythm as she has kickstarted her campaign with a win in Madrid already, against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska in R64. But Coco’s journey in the tournament has just begun, and the business end is still far away. On Saturday, the American ace will look to extend her momentum as she steps on the court against compatriot Ann Li. So, who will have the last laugh in this encounter? Let’s try and find out!
Coco Gauff v Ann Li: Preview
Coco Gauff was looking amazing back in January. After powering America to another United Cup title, she managed to reach the QF of the Australian Open before losing to Spain’s Paula Badosa. Despite that defeat, though, she looked in good rhythm and was expected to land a title in the Middle East swing or Sunshine Double, but it didn’t happen at all. She faced back-to-back early round exits at the Qatar Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Indian Wells, and Miami Open.
After AO, Stuttgart was the first event where Coco finally made it to the R8. But the 21-year-old couldn’t move past that round, as she lost to Italy’s Jasmine Paolini. However, in Madrid now, she is back to winning ways. This week, she began her Madrid Open campaign on a positive note with a straight-set win over Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
The victory took its time, though, as Gauff lost the first set with a bagel from Yastremska. But she bounced back to seal the match with a score line of 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 and advance to R32 eventually.
WUHAN, CHINA – OCTOBER 12: Coco Gauff of United States competes in the Women s Singles Semifinal match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on day eight of 2024 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 12, 2024 in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxCHN Copyright: xVCGx 111523399024
Gauff’s opponent, Ann Li, on the other hand, has been highly inconsistent this season as well. Back in January, she crashed out in R16 of the ASB Classic. A similar fate followed in Hobart, too, after she lost against Dayana Yastremska. In the Australian Open, she couldn’t even move past the first round. But the silver lining came in the form of the Singapore Open, where Li succeeded in reaching the summit clash but failed to lift the trophy as Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat her in straight sets in the final.
In the next three events, Li had a poor run to say the least. At the Indian Wells Masters, Miami Open, and Charleston Open, she crashed out in R128, R128, and R32. However, she seems to have returned to winning ways lately. At the Madrid Open, the American kickstarted her journey with a straight-set win over Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich. In the next battle of R64, Li took down Canada’s Leylah Fernandez with a score line of 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Thursday.
Gauff v Li: Head-to-Head
Both players have met twice so far across WTA tournaments. Currently, Gauff leads the h2h tally 2-0 against Li. When they faced each other last time, it was three years ago in Berlin. Back then, Gauff emerged victorious.
2022 Grass Court Championships Berlin R32: Gauff 6-2, 7-6
2019 ITF USA 04A QF: Gauff 6-4, 7-5
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets
Coco Gauff may have performed inconsistently this season, but she still has an edge over Ann Li in terms of win-loss record. The 21-year-old has won 10 of her 16 matches compared to her compatriot (9-7). Gauff has a better win percentage of 62.5. Speaking of the history of these two players in the Madrid Open, Gauff’s last three appearances (2022, 2023, and 2024) in the Spanish capital have been underwhelming. She crashed out in R16 and R32 in 2022 and 2023, before losing in the pre-quarterfinals last year again. Simply put, she’s yet to earn an impressive run at this WTA 1000 event. But what about Li? Well, she is featuring in Madrid for the first time in her career.
Coming to their playing styles, Gauff relies heavily on her powerful groundstrokes and solid serves. Her overall approach mostly remains aggressive in order to dominate the opponents. Combine that with her amazing athleticism to cover the court well. Li, on the other hand, is also quite similar to Guaff. She likes to hit big from the baseline while using solid groundstrokes. Her forehand is one to watch out for in particular.
This season, Gauff hasn’t been at her best, but she can’t be written off. Especially in this contest, where the stats back her against Li. The prediction is for Gauff to win this match in straight sets and advance to R16.
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