Qatar Open 2022: Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (14) Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia
Tournament: Qatar TotalEnergies Open.
Date: 22 February, 2022
Round: Second round (Round of 32).
Venue: Doha, Qatar.
Category: WTA 1000.
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt.
Prize money: $2,331,698.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia preview
14th seed Coco Gauff will square off against the 76th-ranked Caroline Garcia on Tuesday, with a place in the third round of the 2022 Qatar Open up for grabs.
Having made the quarterfinals at the 2021 French Open, Gauff's 2022 season has been inconsistent so far. After reaching the semifinals in Adelaide, she suffered back-to-back first-round exits at the Australian Open and Dubai.
The 17-year-old, however, didn't let her run of poor results deter her.
Gauff bounced back into form in spectacular fashion on Monday with a 6-2, 6-3 win over older compatriot Shelby Rogers in the first round of the Qatar Open. The teenager will be eager to continue the momentum against former World No. 4 Garcia next.
A winner of seven titles on the WTA tour, Garcia hasn't been able to make much of an impact of late. She showed signs of resurgence in Sydney earlier in the year with an upset win over Jessica Pegula en route to the quarterfinals.
But the Frenchwoman failed to build on it and went on a three-match losing streak thereafter.
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However, Garcia seems to have once again found her range on her return to Doha this week. A 6-4, 6-3 first-round win over the in-form Simona Halep on Monday not only helped her come out of her slump but will also greatly boost her confidence level ahead of her meeting with Gauff.
Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia head-to-head
Gauff leads the head-to-head against Garcia 1-0. The American came out on top 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-1 in their only encounter so far at Indian Wells last year.
Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia prediction
Both Gauff and Garcia served well in their respective first-round matches on Monday. Gauff produced as many as eight aces and won 68% of her first serve points against Rogers. Garcia, meanwhile, powered five aces past Halep in a brilliant display of first-strike tennis, where she won 74% of her first serve points.
But where the two are separated is the second serve points column. Garcia managed a meager 50% win on second serve. Gauff, on the other hand, grabbed 74% of her points on the second serve.
Down low in Doha 🧎♀️
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Her encouraging stats will come in handy against a dangerous player like Garcia. The Frenchwoman is a powerful baseliner who hits the ball hard and flat. However, she isn't consistent at controlling her aggression, often racking up a high number of unforced errors.
It was evident in her match against Halep, where she fluffed quite a few of her chances before successfully converting just two out of nine break points. If Gauff manages to replicate her serving numbers from Monday, the Frenchwoman might not get enough opportunities to make a breakthrough this time.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.