Montreal 2021: Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova preview, head-to-head & prediction | National Bank Open
Match details
Fixture: (15) Coco Gauff vs (Q) Anastasia Potapova
Date: 11 August 2021
Tournament: National Bank Open 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: IGA Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hard
Prize money: $1,835,490
Match timing: Not before 5.00 pm local time, 9.00 pm GMT, 2.30 am IST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova preview
15th seed Coco Gauff will face Russian qualifier Anastasia Potapova on Wednesday, with a spot in the round of 16 of the National Bank Open in Montreal up for grabs.
Gauff entered the North American hardcourt swing on the back of a memorable European summer. The 17-year-old made her maiden Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland Garros, in addition to winning the title at Parma and reaching the semis in Rome. She followed it up with a fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon to end her European sojourn on a high.
However, a positive COVID-19 test halted the young American's momentum and dashed her hopes of representing her nation at the Tokyo Olympics.
Now back on the court, the World No. 24 served notice of her intentions with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 win over Anastasija Sevastova in her Montreal opener.
Up next for Gauff is former junior Wimbledon champion Anastasia Potapova, who has not enjoyed the most successful transition to the senior circuit.
The 20-year-old started the season strongly by making the third round of a Major for the first time at the Australian Open. The Russian backed that up by reaching the quarterfinals in Dubai.
However, since then, she hasn't managed to make much of an impact. In her next nine events, she managed to reach the quarterfinals only once. As a result, the former World No. 64's ranking has taken a hit and she is now languishing at No. 100.
Potapova had to win a couple of matches in qualifying in Montreal to secure her place in the main draw, where she upset Shelby Rogers 7-6(6), 6-3 in the first round.
Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova head-to-head
Coco Gauff leads Anastasia Potapova 1-0 in the head-to-head, having beaten the Russian 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the 2019 US Open.
Coco Gauff vs Anastasia Potapova prediction
By dint of her current form and ranking, Coco Gauff is the favorite in this match.
Potapova has struggled for most of the year while Gauff is in the midst of the best season of her career. The Russian's serve is an area of concern for her. She served as many as seven double faults against Shelby Rogers in the first round with her first-serve percentage languishing at 50.8%.
If her serving woes continue against Gauff, it will spell doom. The American has a strong return and won't hesitate to step in and pounce on the Russian's weak second deliveries.
Gauff had her fair share of trouble on serve in her opener, coughing up three double faults. She will hope to iron out those kinks when she faces Potapova.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets.