Roland Garros: Coco Gauff vs Johanna Konta preview, head-to-head & prediction | French Open 2020
Match details
Fixture: Coco Gauff vs Johanna Konta
Date: 27 September 2020
Tournament: Roland Garros 2020
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Paris, France
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: Approx. €38,000,000
Match timing: Approx. 4 pm CEST, 7.30 pm IST
Live telecast: USA - NBC / Tennis Channel | India - Star Sports / Disney + Hotstar VIP
Also check out: The Complete French Open 2020 Schedule
Coco Gauff vs Johanna Konta preview
The 29-year-old Johanna Konta is a former World No. 4, but is currently ranked No. 13 in the WTA rankings. The Brit can play on all surfaces, having reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon as well as the quarterfinals of the US Open.
Konta had a very successful run on the clay last year. She reached the final at Rabat and the Italian Open before making the semifinals of the French Open in Paris.
At the Italian Open last week, Konta won a round before going down to former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza.
Her opponent on Sunday is the 16-year-old Coco Gauff, who has been making her name on the court as well as off the court in the past 15 months.
Gauff's rise up the ranks on the court has been well-documented. Moreover, she has also become a leading voice among the younger generation for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Gauff is still new to claycourts on the senior tour; this will be her first appearance in the main draw of the French Open. But she did score a good win over Ons Jabeur in the first round of the Italian Open, before losing to Garbine Muguruza in the second round.
Coco Gauff vs Johanna Konta head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the two players, so their head-to-head currently stands at 0-0.
Coco Gauff vs Johanna Konta prediction
This is one of the marquee first-round matches on the women's side of the draw, and hopefully will be able to live up to the expectations. Both Coco Gauff and Johanna Konta have big weapons, and know how to win when they are not playing their best tennis.
Having played very few matches over the last six months due to the shutdown, neither Gauff nor Konta is coming in with a lot of momentum. It remains to be seen who adapts better to the conditions when the match takes place, with rains forecasted for Sunday and Monday.
Konta's experience on the clay might just be able to help her get through against Gauff, who has played very little on the surface so far.
Prediction: Johanna Konta to win in three sets.
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