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American teenager Cori ‘Coco’ Gauff staged an inspired comeback yesterday, against Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinals of the Top Seed Open. The 16-year-old was a mere two games away from defeat but displayed world-class composure to come through in three hard-fought sets.
The teenage sensation out-hit a much older and stronger opponent in Jabeur for most of the match. Coco Gauff has set the Lexington event on fire with her tenacity and maturity, have also ousted World No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka earlier.
Her reward is a semifinal against compatriot Jennifer Brady.
The 25-year-old is far from a straightforward opponent, and her results in 2020 bear testimony to that. Despite being ranked just 49th in the world, Jennifer Brady has managed to overcome the likes of Su-Wei Hsieh, Elina Svitolina, Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty over the last one year.
Brady is arguably the most complete player left in the draw currently. Be it groundstrokes, variety, power or agility, she’s got pretty much everything covered. What would make things more worrisome for Coco Gauff is that all these attributes are operating at a very high level so far.
Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady head-to-head
Like many of the ties at the Top Seed Open, this one too features a set of players who have never faced each other on the WTA tour. A final is within reach for both these players, and as such they will know that a lot is at stake.
The young Coco Gauff has been touted by many to be a future Grand Slam champion. She has not only displayed magnificent grit and courage, but has also shown incredible levels of fitness in all her matches. Her movement is second to none; add to that the ballistic nature of her groundstrokes, and she almost sounds like an unstoppable force.
On the other side of the net will be the immovable object - Jennifer Brady. Such has been the quality of her serve that it has proven nearly impossible for her opponents to break. Brady has allowed just seven break points on her serve so far in the tournament, and saved five of them.
Coco Gauff vs Jennifer Brady prediction
This is perhaps one of the toughest matches to call so far, with both players displaying sensational tennis in pretty much all departments. However, Brady’s performances have been just a tad more solid, which tilts this tie in her favor.
Prediction: Jennifer Brady to win in two hard fought sets.
Match details
Tournament: Top Seed Open 2020
Venue: Lexington, USA
Category: WTA International
Surface: Hardcourt
Prize money: $225,500
Match timing: 12:30 pm EDT, 10 pm IST
