Qatar Open 2024: Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match details
Fixture: Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova
Tournament: Qatar Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 32)
Venue: Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $3,211,715
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova preview
Coco Gauff will open her 2024 Qatar Open campaign with a tough first-round encounter against a seasoned campaigner in the form of Katerina Siniakova.
Gauff, the second seed at this year’s tournament, has not played since her semifinal loss at the Australian Open. The youngster was on a 10-match winning streak that included a title in Auckland when she ran into Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals of the season’s first Grand Slam.
Rested and raring to go, the American will be one of the big contenders for the first WTA 1000 title of the season.
Siniakova, for one, has had a more muted start to the season, having opened her season with an early exit at Brisbane. She did put together a few good wins in Adelaide but could not carry that momentum into the Australian Open, where she bowed out in the second round against Viktorija Golubic.
The Czech has since played indoors at Linz, upsetting Petra Martic in her opener only to go down against Clara Burel in the second round.
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova head-to-head
Gauff leads Siniakova in their head-to-head 5-1. The American won both of their encounters last year in straight sets.
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova prediction
Given the lopsided head-to-head record and vast gulf in rankings, Coco Gauff will enter this second-round contest as a favorite on paper.
The youngster, however, will need to be wary given her discomfort on quick surfaces. Courts in Doha are lighting fast and while Gauff has improved her game to suit the conditions immensely, she remains more comfortable in the slower conditions.
Luckily for her, Katerina Siniakova is not the biggest striker of the tennis ball and much like Gauff, relies on her defensive prowess to win points. She, however, is better acclimatized to playing in Doha, having gotten a match under her belt.
The Czech impressed in her win over Donna Vekic — a recent semifinalist in Linz — winning an exceptional 90% of second-serve return points. Gauff though is the polar opposite of Vekic and is unlikely to give Siniakova any free points.
She can benefit from going after the American’s vulnerable second serve, but protecting her serve will be a worry as well. She won around 60% points behind the first serve against Vekic, a number that hardly inspires confidence. Siniakova can provide a test for Gauff, but the American should prove too steady in the end.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets