Wimbledon 2021: Coco Gauff vs Kaja Juvan preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: (20) Coco Gauff vs Kaja Juvan
Date: 3 July 2021
Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon
Round: Third round (Round of 32)
Venue: London, Great Britain
Category: Grand Slam
Surface: Grass
Prize money: £17,066,000
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP
Coco Gauff vs Kaja Juvan preview
20th seed Coco Gauff will take on World No. 102 Kaja Juvan on Saturday with a place in the last 16 at Wimbledon up for grabs.
Gauff, who made it to her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros last month, has shown plenty of promise on grass so far. The 17-year-old played a couple of matches at Eastbourne, where she impressed despite exiting in the round of 16.
The youngster alsolooked in fine nick in her first two rounds at Wimbledon, notching up straight-sets wins. She will hope to continue in the same vein against Kaja Juvan, whom she defeated in their last meeting.
Since her run to the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier, Juvan has struggled to make an impact on the tour. Her only highlight was in Monterrey, where the Slovenian made it to the round of 16 after coming through qualifying.
The 20-year-old went on to lose her next five matches before finally snapping the run at SW19. She made a stunning start to her Wimbledon campaign, sending the ninth seed Belinda Bencic packing in straight sets. She followed it up with another straight-sets win over Clara Burel to set up a meeting with Gauff.
Coco Gauff vs Kaja Juvan head-to-head
Coco Gauff and Kaja Juvan are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head. While the Slovenian won their first meeting at Roland Garros qualifying in 2019, Gauff avenged the defeat with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win at Adelaide this year.
Coco Gauff vs Kaja Juvan prediction
Although 20th seed Coco Gauff is the favorite to come through this contest, Kaja Juvan could put her in a spot of bother. The Slovenian has the tools to trouble the top players, which was evidenced by her upset of Bencic.
Her relentless hitting from the back of the court, coupled with deft dropshots, made life difficult for the Swiss. Juvan also came to the net at every opportunity, shutting out whatever little chance Bencic had of a comeback.
The Slovenian will look to employ the same strategy against Gauff and take time away from the American. However, Gauff's ability to prolong rallies and quickly turn defense into offense has yielded dividends so far.
Gauff has also been very solid on serve this week. She served nine aces in each of her first two matches and won over 75% of her first-serve points. If the American produces a similar serving display against Juvan, the Slovenian might not have an answer.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.