China Open 2023: Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match details

Fixture: (3) Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic

Date: October 3, 2023

Tournament: China Open 2023

Round: Second round (Round of 32)

Venue: National Tennis Center, Beijing, China

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $8,127,389

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic preview

Coco Gauff at the 2023 China Opem.

Reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff will play against Petra Martic in the second round of the 2023 China Open on Tuesday.

Gauff kicked off her campaign in Beijing against Ekaterina Alexandrova. The teenager was off to a fast start in the first set as she jumped to a 4-0 lead. However, the Russian then clawed her way back into the set to make it 4-4.

With Alexandrova serving to force a tie-break at 6-5, Gauff broke her serve to take the set. The American secured a break of serve in the sixth game of the second set to go 4-2 up. She held on to the lead until the end to win the match 7-5, 6-3.

Martic faced Sorana Cirstea in her opener. The Croat ran away with the first set after 2-1 as she bagged the next five games to win the set. Her opponent responded by claiming the second set with a similar scoreline.

Martic led by a break twice in the third set, but Cirstea fought back to level the score on both occasions. The match then went to a tie-break, with the Croat coming out on top to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3).

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Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic head-to-head

Gauff leads Martic 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Adelaide International 1 in three sets.

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Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Coco Gauff	-1000	+1.5 (-5000)	Over 19.5 (-105)
Petra Martic	+575	-1.5 (+900)	Under 19.5 (-135)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

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Coco Gauff vs Petra Martic prediction

Petra Martic at the 2023 China Open.

Gauff almost let the first set slip through her fingers, but regrouped quickly to take control of the match to defeat Alexandrova. It marked her 13th consecutive win and her first since winning the US Open.

Martic was tested by Cirstea, but managed to prevail in the end. The Croat is a highly-skilled player with an extensive repertoire of shots she utilizes to great effect. She managed to push Gauff to three sets in their only previous encounter, but the American youngster is way more experienced now.

Gauff has improved her gameplay by a great margin and with years of experience under her belt, she's living up to her potential. She had some trouble in the last round when Alexandrova frequently hit behind her, but managed to neutralize the tactic as the match progressed.

Martic could try to do the same, but with Gauff's athleticism, it's tough to make that sort of breakthrough on a consistent basis. The American is in the midst of a purple patch and given how she's playing at the moment, it's not going to come to an end in the next round at the very least.

Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.