Australian Open 2023: Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (7) Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu
Date: 18 January 2023
Tournament: Australian Open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 64)
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: A$76,500,000
Live telecast: USA - ESPN | UK - Eurosport | India - Sony Six, Sony Ten & Sony Liv
Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu preview
World No. 7 Coco Gauff and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu are set to face off in an exciting second-round showdown at the 2023 Australian Open on Wednesday.
Gauff kicked off her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title against Katerina Siniakova. She started the match on a strong note as she grabbed the first set rather quickly, for the loss of just one game as well.
Siniakova struck the first blow in the second set, snagging a break in the sixth game to lead 4-2. Gauff was quick to respond as she bagged the next couple of games to level the score. The teenager broke her opponent's serve once again to go 5-4 up and stepped up to close out the match.
After saving three break points and on her seventh match point, Gauff wrapped up the proceedings to win 6-1, 6-4. Having lost in the first round here last year, she has already done better this time around.
Raducanu was up against Tamara Korpatsch in the opening round. The match started with three straight breaks of serve, with the Brit gaining the upper hand to go 2-1 up. Her opponent fought back to make it 3-3, but the former US Open champion won the next three games in a row to take the first set.
Raducanu jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set and kept her nost in front until the end. Korpastch served to stay in the match at 5-2, but the 20-year old broke her serve for the final time to win the match 6-3, 6-2.
Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu prediction
Raducanu was a little tentative on serve during her first-round match, mainly due to an injury she sustained while playing in Auckland over a week ago. She did do better during the return games, attacking Korpastch's weak second serve at every opportunity. The Brit even threw in a few drop shots and except for one, the others were all winners.
Gauff had a little trouble while closing out the match, but otherwise looked pretty decent against Siniakova. It was also her sixth win in a row, all in straight sets. She finished the match with 24 winners compared to 18 unforced errors.
Raducanu will need her serve to work in full force if she wants to make this a competitive encounter. She can certainly dial up the aggression to attack Gauff's forehand, something the American's earlier opponent didn't do. Gauff will aim to make the most of her chances if the Brit has an underwhelming day on serve.
With two of the sport's biggest names set to collide, expectations will be high from them to produce a memorable encounter. Gauff seems more match fit at the moment and as such has the edge in this match-up.
Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.