Simona Halep is set to face 14th seed Coco Gauff in the Round of 16 of the Madrid Open
Coco Gauff is set to take on former World No.1, Simona Halep in the Madrid Open. Gauff is in good touch in the tournament but this will certainly be a tricky encounter. The American defeated Anna Schmeidlova in straight sets in the first round. She followed it up with a win in an intense three-set match against Yulia Putintseva in the next round to set up a clash against Halep.
Simona Halep meanwhile, has been one of the stand-out players so far in the tournament. The Romanian has been in prime touch on her return to WTA action after a gap of one month. Halep defeated Zhang Shuai in the first round and followed it up with an incredible straight-set win against second seed Paula Badosa in the next round.
It promises to be a fascinating clash. Although Gauff is the superior seed, Halep leads 2-0 head to head with her latest win coming in the Indian Wells Masters last month. Halep is making a return from injury but comes into the match in prime form. We are predicting a thrilling game with Halep eventually winning it in three sets.
Halep suffered a thigh injury during her Indian Wells semi-final loss against Iga Swiatek in March which ruled her out of the Miami Open and the following tournaments.
Halep had been in good touch this season till her unfortunate injury. She started the year with a bang by winning the Melbourne Summer Set but had a disappointing fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. However, she came back strong and made it to the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Masters but lost on both occasions.
The injury, however, could have been a blessing in disguise as it gave Halep ample time to prepare for the clay-court season leading to the Roland Garros next month.
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