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Match details
Fixture: (12) Marketa Vondrousova vs Coco Gauff
Date: 9 March 2021
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2021
Round: Second round (Round of 32)
Venue: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Outdoor hardcourt
Prize money: $1,835,490
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel
Coco Gauff vs Marketa Vondrousova preview
12th seed Marketa Vondrousova will take on 16-year-old Coco Gauff in the second round of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
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A former World No. 14, Vondrousova is currently ranked 20th in the world. The Czech surprised many with her run to the 2019 French Open final, but she was forced to miss the second half of that season due to a wrist surgery.
With an injury lay-off followed by the tour shutdown in 2020, Vondrousova was unable to replicate that Paris success last year. The 21-year-old was knocked out in the first round of the French Open by eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
So far in 2021, Vondrousova has reached the semifinals of the Yarra Valley Classic and the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, has scored wins over the likes of Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka at the Majors already. Like Vondrousova, the American also has one WTA singles title to her credit.
Gauff started off her 2021 season by reaching the second round at Abu Dhabi, Melbourne (Gippsland Trophy) and the Australian Open. She comes into Dubai on the back of a strong result in Adelaide, where she reached the semifinals as a qualifier.
Coco Gauff vs Marketa Vondrousova head-to-head
Marketa Vondrousova and Coco Gauff have never played on the WTA tour, and hence their head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Coco Gauff vs Marketa Vondrousova prediction
In her first round at Dubai, Marketa Vondrousova scored a straight-sets win over Ana Bogdan 6-4, 6-4. Coco Gauff, on the other hand, had a tougher time getting past Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The American, who turns 17 years old on Sunday, let a 5-1 lead in the third set slip before prevailing in a tie-break.
The left-handed Vondrousova is unlikely to be able to outhit Gauff. But the Czech is known for her good returns, her drop shots and her court craft.
Gauff, meanwhile, has the ability to overpower her opponents as well as extend the rallies on command. Time and again, Gauff has shown that she has the ability to change tactics and win matches even when the odds are not in her favor.
The fight that the teenager showed in the first round will likely have infused her with a lot of confidence, and she has a good chance of pulling off an upset on Tuesday.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
