China Open 2023: Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: (3) Coco Gauff vs (2) Iga Swiatek
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize money: $8,127,389
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek preview
The quarterfinals of the 2023 China Open will have two recent Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff slug it out on court in an exciting encounter.
Swiatek, the second seed at this year's tournament, comes into the encounter having survived a scare against Caroline Garcia in the round of 16. She fended off some inspired hitting and big serving to stage a come-from-behind victory.
The Pole has dropped only a handful of games in her other three matches at the tournament and will be looking to build on the momentum.
Gauff, meanwhile, has had the spotlight on her in Beijing given her new-found status as a Grand Slam champion. She fought her way past some big-serving and big-hitting names such as Petra Martic, Veronika Kudermetova and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
With the pressure of posting a good result immediately after winning her first Grand Slam out of the way, the youngster can now focus on what lies ahead. She looked strong against Maria Sakkari in her last match and will look to repeat much of the same against Swiatek.
Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek head-to-head
Swiatek leads Gauff in their head-to-head by a comfortable 7-1 margin. In 2023, she had beaten the American twice in Paris and Dubai before losing her first match to her in Cincinnati.
Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek odds
(Odds will be added once they're available)
Coco Gauff vs Iga Swiatek prediction
Iga Swiatek will step on court looking to avenge her loss from Cincinnati. The Pole, who holds an otherwise commanding lead over Coco Gauff in their head-to-head, knows the way she'll need to play against the youngster to get a win.
Gauff's biggest weapon, other than her incredible foot-speed and fitness, has to be her first serve. It's the shot that often keeps her in matches when other aspects of her game are faltering.
That said, Swiatek, has already managed to outshine a few flashier servers this week. Swiatek posted better first serve points won than Caroline Garcia despite the latter firing 16 aces to the Pole's four.
Swiatek has the game needed to push Gauff onto the back foot. She will just need to keep protecting her own serve and be patient in the rallies.
Prediction: Swiatek to win in three sets