Paris Olympics 2024: Coco Gauff vs Donna Vekic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (2) Coco Gauff vs (13) Donna Vekic
Date: July 30, 2024
Tournament: Paris Olympics 2024
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
Category: Olympics
Surface: Clay
Live Telecast: USA - NBC, Peacock | UK - Eurosport, Discovery+, BBC iPlayer | Canada - CBC Gem, Radio Canada, Tou.tv | India - JioCinema, Sports18
Coco Gauff vs Donna Vekic preview
USA's Coco Gauff will take on Croatia's Donna Vekic in the third round of the Paris Olympics 2024.
Gauff's singles debut at the Olympics started on a winning note as she beat Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-0 in the first round. She was even more impressive in the second round, dropping only two games en route to a 6-1, 6-1 win over Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle.
Vekic defeated Italy's Lucia Bronzetti 6-2, 7-5 in her opener to book a second-round date with Canada's Bianca Andreescu. The Croat went down a break to trail 3-1 in the first set. However, she staged a quick comeback as she bagged five games on the trot to snatch the set from her opponent.
Vekic led by a break twice in the second set but couldn't sustain the lead. Andreescu secured a break of serve in the seventh game to go 4-3 up, though she couldn't capitalize on her advantage either. The momentum swung in the Croat's favor once again as she nabbed the next three games to secure a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Coco Gauff vs Donna Vekic head-to-head
This will be the first career meeting between the two players, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.
Coco Gauff vs Donna Vekic odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Donna Vekic prediction
Gauff has been in impressive form at the Paris Olympics, dropping a total of five games across her two matches. Vekic, who made the semifinals of Wimbledon a few weeks ago, was tested by Andreescu in the previous round despite the straight-sets scoreline.
Vekic's best result at the French Open has been a fourth-round showing back in 2019. Her record at the venue stands at 10-12, excluding her recent two wins at the Paris Olympics.
Gauff, on the other hand, has already surpassed Vekic's results at the French Open. She's a former finalist in singles here with a 20-5 record and won the doubles title this year.
Vekic will certainly offer Gauff more resistance compared to her first two opponents. The former has the skills to constantly put the latter's forehand under pressure, and challenge her on serve as well.
However, the American is no stranger to digging deep and winning ugly. When push comes to shove, Gauff is willing to get scrappy, and that doggedness of hers is likely to help her against Vekic too.
Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.