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Match details
Fixture: (3) Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova
Date: 21 May 2021
Tournament: Emilia-Romagna Open 2021
Round: Semifinals
Venue: Parma, Italy
Category: WTA 250
Surface: Red clay
Prize money: $235,238
Match timing: Not before 2 pm local time, 12 pm GMT, 10 am EST
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova preview
Third seed Coco Gauff will take on Katerina Siniakova on Friday with a spot in the final of the Emilia-Romagna Open up for grabs.
Gauff, 17, is in the midst of a spectacular season. The young American entered the clay swing on the back of a semifinal showing in Adelaide and a quarterfinal finish in Dubai.
There has since been no let-up, with the teenager reaching at least the quarterfinals in three of the four events she has played on clay this year, including a semifinal appearance at the WTA 1000 event in Rome.
Gauff has backed up her Italian Open heroics with a run to the semifinals at Parma this week. The American hasn't dropped a set all week, securing victories over quality opponents such as Kaia Kanepi, Camila Giorgi and Amanda Anisimova to further establish herself as a force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, World No. 68 Katerina Siniakova, primarily a doubles player, has impressed this week in singles. Prior to arriving in Parma, the Czech's only noteworthy singles performance of the year was a quarterfinal showing in Istanbul.
But at the Emilia-Romagna Open, the 25-year-old seems to have found her stride. She began her campaign with a win over rising star Clara Tauson and then knocked 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams out of the competition.
In the last eight, Siniakova sent eighth seed Caroline Garcia packing, and the Czech will hope to add Gauff to her list of scalps on Friday.
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova head-to-head
Coco Gauff leads Katerina Siniakova 1-0 in their head-to-head. The American teenager got the better of the Czech 7-5, 6-4 in their solitary meeting in Ostrava last year.
Coco Gauff vs Katerina Siniakova prediction
Katerina Siniakova struggled on serve against Caroline Garcia in their quarterfinal clash and needs to tighten up her game if she is to get the better of Gauff. The Czech committed eight double faults and managed to land a paltry 54.1% of first serves.
Although she made up for her poor serving display by breaking Garcia as many as six times, Gauff will present a different challenge altogether.
The American teen has been striking the ball with confidence the past few weeks. Apart from improving her movement on clay, Gauff has learnt to be patient in rallies before pulling the trigger. Her fighting spirit has also been on full display during the claycourt swing, contributing to her success.
However, Gauff's serve remains an Achilles heel. The American coughed up five double faults against Anisimova in the quarterfinals and landed just 60% of her first serves. Although that could open a window of opportunity for Siniakova, Gauff will likely have enough firepower to shut down the Czech.
Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in two tight sets.
