'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Coco Gauff vs Arantxa Rus
Date: April 25, 2024
Tournament: Mutua Madrid Open
Round: Second Round (Round of 64)
Venue: La Caja Majica, Madrid, Spain
Category: WTA 1000
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €7,877,020
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN+/TSN3
Coco Gauff vs Arantxa Rus preview
After a first-round bye, third seed Coco Gauff will face Arantxa Rus in the second round of the 2024 Madrid Open on Thursday.
Gauff defended her title at the ASB Classic to begin the new season on a triumphant note. She rode the wave of momentum to the semifinals of the Australian Open, her first at the venue. She was ultimately beaten by Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Gauff tasted her first early loss in a long time as she lost to Katerina Siniakova in the second round of the Qatar Open. She performed well in her next few tournaments, with a quarterfinal finish in Dubai, a semifinal showing at Indian Wells, and a fourth-round appearance in Miami.
Gauff's first tournament on clay was the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. After a first-round bye, the American fought past Sachia Vickery in three sets to make the last eight, where Marta Kostyuk sent her packing.
Rus, meanwhile, began her Madrid Open campaign against Brenda Fruhvirtova. The Dutch veteran was on the backfoot at the start of the match as she trailed 4-0 and then 5-2 in the first set.
However, Rus reeled off five straight games from that point on to claim the opener. The two went toe-to-toe for most of the second set until the 33-year-old pulled ahead as she went on a three-game run to win the match 7-5, 6-3.
Coco Gauff vs Arantxa Rus head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between the duo, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 at the moment.
Coco Gauff vs Arantxa Rus odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Coco Gauff vs Arantxa Rus prediction
Rus looked down and out in the first set against Fruhvirtova but her experience eventually helped her turn the match on its head. She didn't look back after that and finished the match with 20 winners against 25 unforced errors. She also improved her yearly record to 10-10 with her latest win.
Gauff has generally performed well this year but quite a few of her recent matches have been a slogfest. Her level fluctuated wildly in them, with the quality of her gameplay being quite low. Nevertheless, her determination to see things through often saw her eke out a win.
Gauff has lost before the quarterfinals just twice this season. She has the opportunity to reach a new career high of No. 2 if she performs well in Madrid. However, she hasn't made it past the third round here in singles.
Rus has a 2-12 record against top-10 players. Her last win against a player in that region came way back in 2012 against Samantha Stosur at Wimbledon. Even if Gauff is off to a slow start, she should be able to regroup for a win given her opponent's results.
Pick: Coco Gauff to win in three sets.
