Roland Garros 2021: Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (24) Coco Gauff vs (13) Jennifer Brady
Date: 5 June 2021
Tournament: Roland Garros 2021
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red Clay
Prize money: €17,171,108
Match timing: Approx. 7 pm local time, 5 pm GMT, 1 pm EST, 10.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC Sports / Tennis Channel | UK - ITV | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady preview
In an all-American face-off on Saturday, 13th seed Jennifer Brady will take on 24th seed Coco Gauff for a spot in the fourth round of the French Open.
Gauff has been a revelation this season. Following her impressive campaign on hardcourts that saw her reach the semis in Adelaide and the quarters in Dubai, the 17-year-old has stepped it up a notch on clay.
Gauff made at least the quarterfinals in three of her four tournaments leading up to Roland Garros. Her spectacular run on the red dirt peaked with her second career title at the Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma.
The World No. 25 has brought that momentum into Roland Garros this week, and has made it to the third round without dropping a set. After dispatching Aleksandra Krunic 7-6(11), 6-4 in the first round, Gauff showed the door to Qiang Wang by winning 6-3, 7-6(1) in the second.
The teenager needs to keep up that level against her next opponent, who is coming off a runner-up finish at the last Major.
That said, Jennifer Brady hasn't quite been able to replicate her Australian exploits elsewhere. In her three warmup events ahead of the French Open, the World No. 14 managed to win just three matches combined.
But that doesn't erase the fact that Brady is a fighter. And she showed that in her second-round match at Roland Garros.
After starting her French Open campaign with a breezy 6-3, 6-3 win over Anastasija Sevastova, the American was given a real fight by the gutsy Fiona Ferro on Thursday. Ferro proved to be a tough nut to crack and stretched Brady to the limit, but the Australian Open runner-up held her nerve to eke out a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win.
Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady head-to-head
Jennifer Brady leads Coco Gauff 1-0 in the head-to-head, having won their solitary encounter 6-2, 6-4 at Lexington last year.
Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady prediction
A big serve and and an even bigger forehand form the foundation of Jennifer Brady's game. And if either of those two shots is misfiring, Brady finds it difficult to stay afloat.
That was what happened in her second-round match against Ferro, where the American coughed up six double faults and landed just 51% of her first serves. Brady also failed to keep her unforced error count in check, committing 33 of them (while striking 28 winners).
That could be a cause for concern before facing someone like Coco Gauff, who has made rapid strides on clay this year. Gauff has improved her defense even further, and now knows exactly when to pull the trigger. The younger American has been sliding well on the surface too, and she doesn't hesitate to move forward when she gets the chance.
Gauff has a more solid and effective game for clay than Brady, and her recent exploits should also give her a lot of confidence going into this match. And if Brady's serve does falter again, Gauff's advantage will become even more pronounced.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
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