Auckland 2024 final: Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick | ASB Classic
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Coco Gauff vs. (2) Elina Svitolina
Tournament: ASB Classic 2024
Round: Final
Venue: ASB Tennis Centre, Auckland, New Zealand
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $267,082
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports.
Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina preview
Top seed Coco Gauff of the United States will continue her ASB Classic title-defence with the summit clash against second-seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on Sunday, January 7.
Svitolina, who came back post-pregnancy in 2023 to reach the Wimbledon semifinal, is now only a match away from winning a title.
The 29-year-old beat Wang Xiyu of China 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals to reach the final. She was given a scare by the Chinese initially, but got her act together in the last two sets.
Gauff, the 19-year-old US Open champion, is in a rampaging form at the moment. She thrashed her compatriot and fourth-seed Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinal to book a place in the final. Gauff has lost only six games in her last two matches and looks good for her seventh WTA singles title.
Coco Gauff vs Elina Svitolina head-to-head
The Ukrainian leads their head-to-head 1-0. Svitolina has won the only match involving the two players in the second round of the 2021 Australian Open.
Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina odds:
(Odds to be updated once they are released)
Coco Gauff vs. Elina Svitolina prediction
The final should be a battle between two powerful backhands and the more powerful one on the day might win the title. However, Gauff has superior defensive skills, which will surely give her the edge.
She usually manages to stay in the rally with the help of her defense and manages to win points in which she is in an awkward position initially. In addition to that, the American is a decade younger than Svitolina and it should help her if the match stretches beyond a certain point.
Gauff has also been serving really well and fired 10 aces besides winning 93% of the points on her first serve against Navarro. Svitolina, meanwhile, has experience by her side and should be no pushover.
The Ukrainian has 17 WTA singles titles to her name and knows how to win big matches. However, unless she really exceeds herself on Sunday, she should find it considerably difficult to win her 18th title.
Pick: Gauff to win in three sets.