Canadian Open 2022: Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (10) Coco Gauff vs (6) Aryna Sabalenka

Date: August 11, 2022

Tournament: Canadian Open 2022

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Toronto, Canada

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Hard

Prize money: $2,697,250

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - Sportsnet, TVA Sports | UK - Amazon Prime Video

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Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka preview

Coco Gauff and sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka will lock horns in the third round of the Canadian Open on Thursday.

The 10th seeded Gauff edged over Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-7 (8), 7-6 (3) in a nail-biting second-round encounter that lasted nearly three hours.

The teenager has been in great command this season. She has registered 29 wins in her 43 encounters so far. The 18-year-old reached the final of the 2022 French Open in both singles and doubles. However, she couldn’t get her hands on either trophy, losing her singles final to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-3.

Furthermore, Gauff reached the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open, the Silicon Valley Classic along with the semifinals of the Adelaide International-2 and the German Open on grasscourt, displaying her versatility across surfaces. Owing to her success this year, the American now stands at a career-high ranking of World No. 11.

Aryna Sabalenka, meanwhile, hasn’t had the most comfortable of seasons. She has accumulated 21 wins in the 36 matches she has played. The former World No. 2 slid down the rankings and is now placed at No. 6.

Sabalenka’s best results have come at the Stuttgart Open and the Libema Open, where she reached the final but could not cross the finish line against Iga Swiatek and Ekaterina Alexandrova, respectively.

The Belarusian also made it to the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open and the semifinals of the Italian Open, but was taken out by Iga Swiatek in each of those.

Sabalenka earned a victory over Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-3 in their second-round clash in Toronto.

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Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka head-to-head

The American leads the head-to-head against the Belarusian 2-1. Gauff was on the winning side at the 2020 Top Seed Open and the 2021 Italian Open, whereas Sabalenka came on top at the 2020 Ostrava Open.

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Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka odds

(All odds are sourced from bet365)

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Coco Gauff vs Aryna Sabalenka prediction

Leading up to the contest, Gauff has more matches under her belt than Sabalenka and has had a better run of form coming into their fourth clash in Toronto.

The American teenager will challenge her opponent with her aggressive shot-making. Gauff’s biggest weapon is her two-handed backhand, which she employs to produce cross-court winners. She also frequently includes lob shots to control the pace of the game and could draw Sabalenka into the net and employ the shot.

The Belarusian is similarly known for her very aggressive style of play. Her biggest strength is also her biggest weakness. While Sabalenka has a powerful serve, she also tends to hit double faults quite often. She has a threatening forehand and generates many winners off of it but will look to keep her unforced error count under control.

Gauff will have and edge over the 24-year-old and should be able to reach the quarterfinals in Toronto.

Pick: Gauff to win in three sets.