China Open 2024 SF: Coco Gauff vs Paula Badosa preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (4) Coco Gauff vs (15) Paula Badosa
Date: October 5, 2024
Tournament: China Open 2024
Round: Semifinal
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 Paula Badosa preview
World No. 6 Coco Gauff will lock horns with former top-10 player Paula Badosa in the semifinals of the China Open 2024 on Saturday (October 5).
Gauff ousted Clara Burel and Katie Boulter in straight sets to make the fourth round, where she faced four-time Major champion Naomi Osaka. Her comeback came to a grinding halt after her rival retired at the end of the second set. She then moved on to the quarterfinals, where qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva awaited her.
The qualifier from Ukraine was off to a fast start as she broke Gauff's serve twice to go 4-1 up. The latter secured a break of serve to make it 4-2 but the former snagged another break to lead 5-2, and closed out the set after that.
Gauff was in trouble at the start of the second set but erased the two break points that she faced to hold serve. That proved to be the turning point, and she broke Starodubtseva's serve twice to claim the set. The third set played out similarly, with another two breaks helping the American stage a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback win.
Badosa, meanwhile, defeated Viktoriya Tomova, Rebecca Sramkova, and Jessica Pegula in straight sets to book a quarterfinal date with Zhang Shuai. The Spaniard breezed through the first set, and clinched it for the loss of only one game.
Badosa overcame a 2-0 deficit in the second set, and eventually took the set to a tie-break. Zhang gave her a tough fight in it but she weathered the storm to secure a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win.
Coco Gauff vs Paula Badosa head-to-head
Badosa leads Gauff 3-2 in the head-to-head. The American won their previous encounter at this year's Italian Open in three sets.
Coco Gauff vs Paula Badosa odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Paula Badosa prediction
Gauff was off to a horrible start against Starodubtseva. She coughed up seven double faults and 17 unforced errors in the first set. She cleaned up her act after that, though she could be penalized by Badosa if she's slow off the blocks once again.
The Spaniard is yet to drop a set this week. She has the upper hand in her rivalry with Gauff, and has won two of their three duels on hardcourts, both in straight sets. The 20-year-old won their other match on the surface without dropping a set as well.
Badosa has taken her ranking from outside of the top 100 in the middle of the season to inside the top 20. She has an 18-3 record on hardcourts since the end of July, while Gauff has tallied an 8-3 record in the same period. Their current form points towards a win for the Spaniard.
Pick: Paula Badosa to win in three sets.