Madrid Open 2022: Simona Halep vs Coco Gauff preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (14) Coco Gauff vs Simona Halep

Date: 2 May 2022

Tournament: Madrid Open 2022

Round: Third round (Round of 16)

Venue: Madrid, Spain

Category: WTA 1000

Surface: Outdoor Clay

Prize money: $6,575,560

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video

Simona Halep vs Coco Gauff preview

Simona Halep eliminated Paula Badosa in the second round of the Madrid Open

Simona Halep will square off against 14th seed Coco Gauff in the third round of the Madrid Open on Monday. The Romanian has had a good season so far, winning 17 out of 21 matches.

Halep started the year by winning the Melbourne Summer Set, followed by a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open. The former World No. 1 then reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships before losing to Jelena Ostapenko. After suffering a first-round exit at the Qatar Open, Halep reached the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open but lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

The Romanian did not compete at the Miami Open due to injury but returned to action at the Madrid Open. She started off her campaign by beating Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-3 to set up a second-round clash against World No. 2 Paula Badosa. Halep beat the Spaniard 6-3, 6-1 to book her place in the last 16 of the tournament.

Coco Gauff did not have a particularly impressive Australian summer as she was knocked out in the first round of the Australian Open. However, she did manage to reach the semifinals of the Adelaide International 2.

The teenager then suffered an opening-round exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships, following which she made the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open before losing to Maria Sakkari. Gauff lost at Indian Wells and Miami in the third and fourth rounds respectively, before bowing out in the first round at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

The American is seeded 14th at the Madrid Open and trounced Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-0, 6-2 in the first round. She then fought off Yulia Putintseva in three sets to seal her place in the third round of the competition.

Simona Halep vs Coco Gauff head-to-head

This will be the third meeting between the two players, with Halep leading the head-to-head 2-0. The Romanian first beat Gauff in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2019, on her way to the title.

The two clashed at the Indian Wells Open in March, with Halep winning once again. The winner of the match will take on either Ons Jabeur or Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

Simona Halep vs Coco Gauff odds

Player Name	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games (Over and Under)
Simona Halep	-300	-4.5 (-110)	Under 20.5 (-120)
Coco Gauff	+220	+4.5 (-125)	Over 20.5 (-115)

Simona Halep vs Coco Gauff prediction

Halep might be ranked lower than Gauff at the moment but she will enter the match as the favorite. The Romanian has won 17 out of 21 matches this season, compared to her opponent's 12-7 record.

However, Gauff should not be written off considering her claycourt record last season. The American reached the semifinals of the Italian Open and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Halep seems to be close to her best form. The Romanian's powerful groundstrokes, combined with her athleticism and return game, make her a formidable opponent.

Gauff is a natural athlete. She plays an aggressive brand of tennis and is able to mix up her game to keep her opponents off balance. One of the defining features of the American's short career has been her mental perseverance. She will need to be at her best mentally as well as physically to cope with Halep's intensity.

Gauff served 10 double faults in her last match and will need to improve her serving numbers against the former World No. 1.

Halep looks in fine touch at the moment and while Gauff will put up a fight, it is unlikely to be enough to prevent the Romanian from moving on to the quarterfinals.

Pick: Simona Halep to win in straight sets.