MELBOURNE, Australia — Emma RaducanuHer face lit up with excitement during her first round press conference at the Australian Open as she learned her next opponent at Melbourne Park would be a rising star of the WTA Coco Gauff.
The pair will meet Wednesday night on the Rod Laver Arena, and while it may only land a spot in the final round of 32 of the tournament, it’s a blockbuster match worthy of deep play in week two. two of any major tournament.
The reason for such an early meeting? The two have had vastly different fortunes over the past 18 months.
Raducanu’s form is trending in the wrong direction since she won the US Open 2021 as a teenager. In 2022, she won just three Grand Slams, parted ways with coach Torben Beltz and battled some minor injuries. As a result, her world ranking, which hit 10th after she ran in New York, plummeted to 77.
Meanwhile, Gauff has risen from 22nd to fourth in the rankings in the same period, thanks to his first Slam final at the French Open in June, as well as a quarterfinal spot at the French Open. US Open Championship. Gauff is ranked seventh for these two weeks in Melbourne and is among the favorites to win the title.
“I think we’re both young, good players,” Raducanu said on Day One of the tournament. “We both became part of the next generation of tennis.”
Gauff and Raducanu have never met professionally, so when the two luminaries of the women’s circuit step out onto the middle court at a Grand Slam, you should have popcorn ready.
Why Coco Gauff will win
Gauff made headlines in the women’s draw with a dominant first-round win Katerina Siniakovabeat the Czech 6-1, 6-4 in 75 minutes.
As expected, her raw strength and aggression are true traits. Gauff makes the tournament’s second-fastest serve to date, at 193 km/h (120 mph) and has a habit of winning points when her first serve lands (77%). . She also showed great poise and control from the backhand, where she found eight winners.
Gauff will revisit these areas as she faces Raducanu, who can have a hard time adapting early in the competition to what will be a significant power boost from the opponent in the first round. hers.
“She’s a great athlete with some real weapons,” Raducanu said of Gauff. “She plays tennis very well and looks very tough.”
Gauff’s double pedigree also gives her a significant advantage. She rarely turns down the chance to move inside the end lane and is as effective as any player on the Tour when she’s already approaching the net. In his opening goal, Gauff made 19 hits, winning 15 of them.
Why Emma Raducanu will win
There is really doubt that Raducanu will even feature in the main draw at Melbourne Park after she suffered a nasty fall and sprained her ankle at the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this month.
But after a tense start, she, like Gauff, impressed in her opening match at the Australian Open with an easy 6-3, 6-2 victory over the German. Tamara Korpatsch.
Gauff is clearly a form player right now, but Raducanu knows she can still step up her game and play at a significantly higher level. She made 34 unwarranted errors against Korpatsch, but was always in control of the game.
Raducanu will seek to expand the protests against Gauff and force the 18-year-old to make a mistake. That was the area where Gauff showed weakness in her opener, losing 14 of 19 points where rallies lasted at least nine hits.
And while not being seeded at a major isn’t ideal, as evidenced by a second-round date with Gauff, perhaps one benefit is the release of pressure. Raducanu played her best tennis when she was not expected, and entering this match as an outsider could certainly benefit her.
What will happen?
This couple’s ranking is for a reason. Gauff’s purple continued through 2023 by winning the championship in Auckland without dropping a set, before appearing ominous in her first round in Melbourne. She should also win consecutive sets.
