Italian Open 2021: Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (7) Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff
Date: 13 May 2021
Tournament: Internazionali BNL d'italia 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
Venue: Rome, Italy
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: 10 am local time, 8 am GMT, 4 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff preview
Aryna Sabalenka is in the form of her life, to say the least. Currently second in the WTA Race to Shenzhen, the Belarusian will be looking to keep the momentum going when she takes on Coco Gauff in the Italian Open third round on Thursday.
Sabalenka won her first tournament of the year in Abu Dhabi, thus extending her winning streak to 15 matches. She then suffered a shock first-round defeat to Kaia Kanepi in the Gippsland Trophy, before losing to Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The Belarusian couldn't go beyond the quarterfinal stage of any tournament she entered in March, losing to Garbine Muguruza twice (Doha and Dubai) and to Ashleigh Barty in Miami. But she started the clay season with a final run at Stuttgart, losing to Barty after being a set up. She then avenged her loss to the Australian in Madrid, defeating her in the final to clinch her 10th career title.
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, has continued to rise through the rankings courtesy of her consistent performances. The American made it to the semifinals at Adelaide, where she lost to second seed Belinda Bencic. She then reached the quarterfinals in Dubai, before losing to Anastija Sevastova in the second round at Miami.
Gauff had a decent start to the clay swing, making it to the last eight in Charleston, but had to face a tough defeat in the opening round at Madrid. This week in Rome she has had to battle past Yulia Putintseva and Maria Sakkari, going the distance in both matches.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff head-to-head
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have met twice before and have won once each, so their current head-to-head stands at 1-1. Sabalenka made a comeback from a set down to win their last match, which was at Ostrava in 2020.
Aryna Sabalenka vs Coco Gauff prediction
Considering both her ranking and form, Aryna Sabalenka is the favorite on paper. But as their past meetings suggest, Coco Gauff will likely give the Belarusian a run for her money.
Sabalenka will be looking to bank on her serve and powerful groundstrokes to dictate the rallies. She will try to be aggressive from the beginning of the match, so as to not let her opponent settle and gain momentum.
Gauff on her part seems to be enjoying the conditions in Rome, and will continue to make the best use of her footwork and anticipation skills. She has been serving decently too, and will look to repeat the numbers from her earlier matches.
The American, who has displayed good skills at the net over her short career, will also try to take time away from her opponent with her volleys.
Even though Sabalenka boasts of a better all-round game, she needs to keep her unforced errors in check as her opponent will be looking to capitalize on them. But fatigue will also likely play a factor in the match on Thursday; Gauff has spent more than four hours on court, and she might struggle if the rallies get extended.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in two tight sets.