Coco Gauff
7th seed Coco Gauff locks horns with compatriot Bernarda Pera in the third round of the 2023 Australian Open on Friday.
The talented youngster came into the tournament with some good form. She participated in the ASB Classic where she won the title without dropping a set.
The 18-year-old began her campaign at the Australian Open with a thumping win against doubles No. 1 Katerina Siniakova. The match ended in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 in favor of Gauff. The American player defeated 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the second round. The first set was rather one-sided but Raducanu fought hard in the second set. The match eventually ended 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).
The 28-year-old did not have a great start to the season. She played in the ASB Classic but lost to Viktoria Kuzmova in the first round. In the Hobart International, Pera defeated Madison Brengle and Laura Siegemund before losing to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the quarterfinals.
In the first round of the Australian Open, Pera bounced back from a set down to defeat Moyuka Uchijima. The match ended 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 in favor of Pera. In the second round, Pera produced a solid display to get the better of 29th seed Zheng Qinwen in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. With this win, the 28-year-old reached the third round of the Australian Open for the second time in her career.
The head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 0-0 as the two players have never faced each other.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets.
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