Charleston 2021: Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff preview, head-to-head & prediction | Volvo Car Open

Match details

Fixture: (12) Ons Jabeur vs (14) Coco Gauff

Date: 9 April 2021

Tournament: Volvo Car Open 2021

Round: Quarterfinals

Venue: Charleston, United States

Category: WTA 500

Surface: Green clay

Prize money: $823,000

Match timing: Approx. 3 pm local time, 12.30 am IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Europsort

Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff preview

12th seed Ons Jabeur has made her way to the quarterfinals of the 2021 Charleston Open without dropping a single set in the tournament.

The Tunisian scored impressive wins over seasoned claycourt specialists Alize Cornet and Martina Trevisan in her first two matches, and would be feeling good about her prospects. But Jabeur now faces arguably her biggest so far, as she is set to take on Coco Gauff in the last eight.

Coco Gauff

Gauff on her part began the week with a solid win over Tsvetana Pironkova. The teenager has been made to work hard by her opponents since, but has put in strong showings to emerge out victorious on each occasion.

Gauff has had a bit of a hot-and-cold season so far, having made a few deep runs while suffering early exits at some big tournaments. Another semifinal here, though, will set her up well ahead of the claycourt season.

Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff head-to-head

Ons Jabeur will be eyeing a slight opportunity in the open bottom half of the draw.

Coco Gauff leads Ons Jabeur in head-to-head clashes with a 2-0 margin. The American won the duo's only meeting on clay, which came at the 2020 Italian Open.

Ons Jabeur vs Coco Gauff prediction

Notwithstanding the unfavorable head-to-head record, Ons Jabeur will be fancying her chances heading into this contest. The Tunisian enters most matches as an unpredictable maverick, but on days when she is timing the ball, she has proven to be almost unplayable.

The problem with Jabeur has been her inability to stay consistent over longer periods. Even during the course of a match, she tends to lose her concentration and start to give away too many free points through unforced errors. And against a gutsy opponent like Gauff, the Tunisian cannot afford such slip-ups.

Jabeur has made it to just one WTA final (Kremlin Cup 2019), and will be sensing an opportunity this time. If she can find a way to exhibit a certain level of restraint, she might be able to eke out a win here.

Prediction: Ons Jabeur to win in three sets.