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Match details
Fixture: (3) Coco Gauff vs (16) Veornika Kudermetova
Date: October 5, 2023
Tournament: China Open 2023
Round: Third round (Round of 16)
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
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
World No. 3 Coco Gauff will play against 16th seed Veronika Kudermetova in the third round of the 2023 China Open on Thursday.
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Gauff ousted Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the second round, where she faced Petra Martic. The two were dead even for most of the first set and a tie-break seemed imminent. However, the teenager broke her opponent's serve in the 12th game of the set to take it.
Gauff was on the backfoot for most of the second set as she had to recover from a break down on three occasions. Martic then snagged another break of serve in the 11th game and served it out in the following game to claim the set.
The pair traded service breaks to start the third set. Martic got the edge as she broke in the ninth game to go 5-4 up. She then stepped up to serve for the contest, but got broken. Gauff then extended the set to a tie-break, in which she gained the upper hand to win 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (2).
Kudermetova received a first-round bye here due to her winning the Pan Pacific Open last week. She was up against Lesia Tsurenko in the second round. The Russian overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first set to level the score, but was unable to recover after going down another break, costing her the set.
A rain delay interrupted the match in the second set, but Kudermetova didn't let that get in the way of a resounding turnaround. After losing the opener, she didn't drop a single game for the rest of the match to score a 3-6, 6-0, 6-0 comeback win.
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
The two have split their previous couple of meetings evenly to tie the head-to-head at 1-1. Gauff won their most recent encounter at the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in three sets.
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
Two of the tour's most in-form players are not set to duke it out. Gauff's on a 14-match winning streak, while Kudermetova's unbeaten run stands at six wins. The American youngster gave it her all in the previous round and managed to quell an inspired challenge from Martic.
Kudermetova made light work of Tsurenko after losing the first set. After a tough few weeks with some disappointing losses, the Russian has rediscovered her groove. She's faced off against Gauff twice this season, with both of the matches going the distance.
Kudermetova got the better of the teenager in Doha, while Gauff had the last laugh in Stuttgart. The Russian's sharp serving and focused ballstriking has reaped her plenty of rewards. The American, on the other hand, has been resilient to win her matches with her newfound consistency.
Gauff was a bit passive at times against Martic, but took control of the reins towards the end of the match. She'll need to take the initiative early on against Kudermetova as well. This could be another close match between the two, though the current US Open champion will be favored to be the winner.
Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
