Italian Open 2022: Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (15) Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber
Date: 9 May 2022
Tournament: Italian Open 2022.
Round: First round (Round of 64).
Venue: Rome, Italy.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Clay.
Prize money: $2,527,250.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber Preview
Fourteenth seed Coco Gauff will take on former World No. 1 Angelique Kerber in the first round of the Italian Open on Monday.
The American started her campaign with a last-16 run in Adelaide International 1 but has blown hot and cold this season. She followed that up by reaching the Adelaide International 2 semifinals, losing to eventual champion Madison Keys despite being a set up.
Gauff suffered first-round exits at the Australian Open and in Dubai before reaching the Qatar Open quarterfinals. The teenager then reached the third round in Indian Wells and the fourth round in Miami.
After being eliminated in the first round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Gauff entered the Madrid Open as the 14th seed. She thrashed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the first round before fighting off Yulia Putintseva to reach the last 16, losing to Simona Halep in straight sets. Gauff reached the semifinals last year.
Simona Halep tallies her 30th win in Madrid, defeating Coco Gauff 64 64 to advance to the quarterfinals.
The only tournaments at which Halep has won more main draw matches are Australian Open (31) and Roland Garros (31).
#MMOPEN https://t.co/Gr1FWZ33qy
Kerber, meanwhile, has had a torrid 2022 campaign so far. She suffered early exits at the Australian Open and Qatar. She won her first match of the year against Zheng Qinwen at Indian Wells. Kerber reached the last 16 before losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in three sets.
The 34-year-old then lost in the first round in Miami (Naomi Osaka) and Stuttgart (Anett Kontaveit).
job done ✅
comeback complete ✅
🇪🇪 Anett Kontaveit gets the win over Kerber 3-6 6-4 6-4 and moves on to R2 to face Alexandrova
21 INDOOR WINS IN A ROW https://t.co/1kY9KAKlFF
Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber head-to-head
This will be the second meeting between Gauff and Kerber. They first locked horns in the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon, where the German won 6-4, 6-4.
Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber odds
All Odds sourced from BetMGM.
Coco Gauff vs Angelique Kerber prediction
Gauff will enter the match as the favourite, given her superior form. The American has won 10 of her 18 matches in 2022 compared to Kerber's two of nine.
Kerber does not have a very good record on clay, having won 83 of 147 matches on the surface. In fact, she has won only 17 of 39 matches on clay since 2017.
Gauff, meanwhile, has won 18 of 25 matches on the red dirt. She had some good results on the surface last season, including reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.
The American is a powerful hitter and will look to be aggressive from the start. Kerber will look to use her counterpunching to defuse her younger opponent's power. The German will have to use all her experience to emerge victorious.
Neither Gauff nor Kerber have been particularly impressive this season. However, the American's superior firepower should see her come out on top and reach the second round.
Pick: Gauff to win in three sets.