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Match Details
Fixture: (5) Coco Gauff vs Ekaterina Alexandrova
Date: June 22, 2023
Tournament: bett1open 2023
Round: Second round (Round of 16)
Venue: Berlin, Germany
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Grass
Prize money: $780,637
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Coco Gauff vs Ekaterina Alexandrova preview
Fifth seed Coco Gauff will square off against World No. 22 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the second round of the 2023 bett1open on Thursday.
Gauff drew Katerina Siniakova in the first round. The two sized each other up and were evenly matched at the start of the first set. The American surged ahead by breaking her opponent's serve to go 4-2 up. This single break of serve proved to be more than enough for her to claim the set.
The second set played out similarly, with Gauff putting herself in the driver's seat after snagging an early break to lead 3-1. Siniakova had a break point later on to get back on serve, but fumbled her opportunity. The teenager didn't allow her opponent any more chances to get back on level terms and soon won the contest 6-3, 6-4.
Alexandrova, meanwhile, faced her fellow Russian Liudmila Samsonova in the opening round. The first set was a bit choatic with four consecutive breaks of serve, with neither player holding on to the lead they acquired.
Alexandrova then broke Samsonova's serve in the final game of the set to take it. The second set was more straightforward, with a single break of serve in the former's favor helping her win the match 6-4, 6-3.
Coco Gauff vs Ekaterina Alexandrova head-to-head
Gauff leads Alexandrova 1-0 in the head-to-head. She won their previous encounter at the 2021 Dubai Tennis Championships in three sets.
Coco Gauff vs Ekaterina Alexandrova odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Ekaterina Alexandrova prediction
Both players won their first-round encounters in straight sets, though Alexandrova did struggle a bit in the first set. While Gauff didn't drop her serve even once, her unforced error count was on the higher side.
Alexandrova is fresh off of a successful title defense at the Libema Open. Having extended her winning streak on grass to six matches now, she has momentum on her side and will be the slight favorite heading into this contest.
Armed with a good serve and a style of play that's quite dangerous on grass, Alexandrova will prove to be a tough test for Gauff. While the teenager is a capable player on the surface herself, she could find herself on the backfoot against the Russian, especially if her forehand misfires constantly.
However, Alexandrova is also known to get tight under pressure, while Gauff tends to maintain her composure slightly better. But with the Russian on an unbeaten run at the moment, she's likely to find a way to succeed at all costs.
Pick: Ekaterina Alexandrova to win in three sets.
