China Open 2024: Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka
Date: October 1, 2024
Tournament: China Open 2024
Round: Fourth Round (Round of 16)
Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Hard
Prize Money: $8,955,610
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka preview
Former US Open champions Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will clash in the fourth round of the China Open 2024.
Gauff beat Clara Burel 7-5, 6-2 to set up a third-round duel against 26th seed Katie Boulter. The American looked to be in cruise control as sped to a 5-2 lead in the first set.
However, Gauff tightened up when serving for the set, and gave Boulter an opening, who went on a three-game run to level the score. The latter then served to force a tie-break at 6-5 but the 20-year-old secured another break of serve to take the set.
With the first set under her belt, Gauff played more freely in the second set. She broke Boulter's serve twice to register a 7-5, 6-2 win and improved her record to 43-15 this year.
Osaka moved past Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets in her opener and rallied from a set down to oust 21st seed Yulia Putintseva. She was up against Katie Volynets in the third round.
Osaka snagged a break of serve in the early stages of the first set to go 3-0 up. She maintained a tight grip on the head start and shut out Volynets to take the set. The former World No. 1 broke her opponent's serve twice to race ahead 5-1 in the second set.
Volynets put up a fight towards the end and fended off a match point on her serve to make it 5-2. It only delayed the inevitable, and Osaka closed out the match in the next game to secure a 6-3, 6-2 win.
Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka head-to-head
The two have split their previous four meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 2-2. Gauff won their most recent encounter at the Silicon Valley Classic 2022 in straight sets.
Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka prediction
The China Open marks the first tournament for both players under new coaches. Osaka is now working with Patrick Mouratoglou, while Gauff is coached by Matt Daly. Both have improved rather quickly under the guidance of their new coaches.
Osaka played one of her best matches of the season to beat Volynets in the previous round. She didn't face a single break point and lost only 12 points on serve. She won 82 percent of her first serve points and defended her second serve quite well too, and won 68 percent of points on it.
Gauff is feeling more confident behind her serve as well. She utilized a lot more kick serves than before against Boulter, and was successful in her endeavors as well.
Neither player has tallied consecutive wins over the other in this rivalry. If the pattern holds, then this is Osaka's time to shine. The latter's groundstrokes and serve are looking more potent this week. If she maintains her sharpness from the previous round, then Gauff could find it tough to keep up with the four-time Major champion.
Pick: Naomi Osaka to win in three sets.