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Match details
Fixture: (5) Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova.
Tournament: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2023.
Round: First round (Round of 32).
Venue: Stuttgart, Germany.
Category: WTA 500.
Surface: Indoor Clay.
Prize money: $780,637.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video.
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova preview
Fifth seed Coco Gauff will square off against Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the 2023 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
Gauff kicked off the new season with a title-winning run at the ASB Classic in Auckland. However, her winning ways came to an end at the hands of Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The Middle East swing, though, was quite productive for the young American. While the teenager made it to the last eight in singles at the Qatar Open, she went on to claim the doubles title. Gauff lost to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships after that.
Her good run of form continued at the BNP Paribas Open as she reached yet another quarterfinal this year. The American lost to Anastasia Potapova in the third round of the Miami Open, but brushed off the early loss to snatch the doubles title.
Kudermetova, meanwhile, started the season on a strong note as she made it to the quarterfinals and the semifinals of the two warm-up events prior to the Australian Open. However, she was stunned by qualifier Katie Volynets in the second round of the season's first Grand Slam.
The Russian's otherwise strong Middle East swing concluded on a sour note as she lost in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Kudermetova's results improved marginally after that as she made it to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open and the second round of the Miami Open.
She commenced her clay season at the Charleston Open. After a first-round bye, she was up against compatriot Diana Shnaider. She was expected to cruise through the encounter given her experience, but ended up losing the match in straight sets.
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova head-to-head
Kudermetova leads Gauff 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2023 Qatar Open in three sets.
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova prediction
Kudermetova will head into this contest a little low on confidence and form, having lost five of her last six matches. She's currently on a three-match losing streak, failing to even win a set in those meetings as well.
Gauff, on the other hand, has been rather consistent all year long. Her early exit from the Miami Open remains the only blemish on an otherwise good season.
The teenager lost to Kudermetova just a couple of months ago when they faced off at the Qatar Open. The American's serve let her down that day as she managed to win just 50% of her service points. Gauff's wayward forehand also led to her downfall, a constant feature in most of her losses.
She'll be aiming to play a much cleaner match this time around. Kudermetova's recent string of losses points to a rather concerning slump, but she's still a tough competitor to face early on. However, clay is the teenager's favored surface, so expect her to come out on top in this encounter.
Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
