Karolina Pliskova is playing some really solid tennis right now, but beating Coco Gauff at the 2024 Dubai Championships will be very tough.
The Czech player won the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca two weeks ago. She rushed to get to Doha, barely catching a flight to do so in time. It proved to be a wonderful decision because she played really well, making her way to the semi-final.
A miraculous run was cut short because of fatigue, which was likely the reason why she pulled out before the semi-final, but she should be quite rested for this match. Even so, the more important thing is that she's playing really well right now and is very confident.
Gauff seems to be getting to top form as well. After the Qatar Open loss, she made a good start at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai, but she doesn't seem invincible. There will be ways for Pliskova to hurt her, especially if she brings her A-game from the baseline.
They played two times so far, and each player has one win. Pliskova won the first match in Madrid in 2021, while Gauff won the more recent meeting in Berlin in 2022. To win the match, Pliskova needs to be deadly from the baseline because the 19-year-old can't really trade blows with her from the baseline.
She can bait her opponent into errors by running around the court, which will likely be the tactic. That's what makes Pliskova's level crucial for the outcome of this match.
Coco Gauff | Karolina Pliskova | |
1 | H2H | 1 |
3 | Rank | 36 |
19 | Age | 31 |
10-2 | 2024 W/L | 10-3 |
185-84 | Career W/L | 631-359 |
I could see the Czech veteran winning the match, but I think Gauff will prevail. She will be quite motivated to prove herself after last week's bad performance.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.