Coco Gauff has now won a match as a Grand Slam champion, which makes this one slightly less complicated, but it's still one she will need to take seriously, so let's see what might happen.
Coco Gauff hasn't played up until this week, with her last match being the US Open final. She won the trophy and then took some time off, returning on Monday at the 2023 China Open against Ekaterina Alexandrova. It was a complicated match, but Gauff handled it about as well as you can hope, keeping it in two sets.
She now faces another big challenge but this one is a bit different. Petra Martic is a veteran and quite experienced knowing how to handle these matches but she will have a lot of problems against Gauff. This isn't the old Gauff who waits for the match to come her way but rather takes control of the match on her own terms.
That's somewhat problematic for Martic because she's quite vulnerable to attacking styles of play. Not only that, she's going to struggle with the athleticism of Gauff as well. The serve is one weapon she has and it will be crucial for the match.
Head-to-head:
When it comes to previous meetings, the players had only one on the WTA Tour. They played in 2021, and Gauff won that match. It was a three-set match, but a lot of things changed since then. Gauff plays very differently, and I'd be shocked if the match goes to three sets again.
Prediction:
Now as I mentioned above much will come down to the service of Martic. If she serves well she can stay in most rallies, but if she allows Gauff to attack her early in rallies she might face some issues. I do expect the American to overwhelm eventually and cruised to an easy victory, but she will need to play seriously.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in two sets.
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