Damien Kayat previews Coco Gauff vs Veronika Kudermetova and Caroline Garcia vs Anhelina Kalinina in selected round of 16 matches of the China Open on the 5th of October 2023.
2023 WTA Tour
WTA 1000
China Open
National Tennis Centre, Beijing, China (Outdoor Hardcourt)
Selected Round of 16 Matches – 5th October
Coco Gauff 1/3 | Veronika Kudermetova 2/1
This looks set to be an exciting clash between two in-form players. This has been a transformative season for American teenager Coco Gauff. Everyone knew she had the potential to reach the upper echelons of the game.
But her poor defeat in last year’s French Open final seemed to suggest that there were some mental fragilities in the American’s makeup. But she has addressed her coaching situation this year, terminating her relationship with Diego Moyano and bringing in the iconic Brad Gilbert in an advisory capacity.
And it has worked a treat, with Gauff playing far more proactive tennis and vastly improving her forehand wing. She won her maiden WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati prior to winning her first Slam at Flushing Meadows. She breezed past Alexandrova in her first-round match before a much sterner test against Czech Martic.
She slipped into her old passive self in that 2nd set and she had to grind out the win in the end. Still, that victory extended her current winning streak to 14 matches.
Big-hitting Russian Veronika Kudermetova has finally found her hardcourt boots. This is the arena where the Russian should theoretically thrive. She hits the ball powerfully and looks to dominate with her serve.
But she really came to life this season on the clay-courts, reaching back-to-back WTA 1000 semi-finals in Madrid and Rome. Those performances proved that she isn’t just a one-dimensional hitter. She would reach the final in Rosmalen before embarking on an extremely underwhelming North American hardcourt season.
But she sprung into life at last year’s Toray Pacific Open, beating the top two seeds- Swiatek and Pegula- en route to winning her 2nd WTA title. She dominated Pegula in the final, hitting 17 winners to the American’s nine. She really dictated the tempo of that match and she will be looking to do the same against Gauff.
She just had one of the most convincing three-set wins you could possibly imagine, losing a set to Tsurenko before handing out consecutive bagels to the Ukrainian.
Verdict: Gauff to win in three-sets
These two have split their two previous meetings (both of which coming this year). Gauff will do well to remember what took her to that US Open title. She must remain proactive and look to hit winners against Kudermetova.
I really think this will be a close match. Kudermetova beat Pegula in Japana and there is certainly some overlap between Pegula and Gauff. But I think Gauff’s raw athleticism will give her an edge as this match trundles along.
Caroline Garcia 5/8 | Anhelina Kalinina 11/10
This match is giving me major déjà vu as I also covered their meeting at last week’s Toray Pacific Open (where Caroline Garcia picked up a comfortable win).
Hardcourt specialist Caroline Garcia has largely underwhelmed this year following her glorious return to form in 2022. She has lacked the discipline to alter her ultra-aggressive style and the unforced errors have absolutely piled up.
But she seemed to gain some traction in Guadalajara, reaching her first WTA 1000 semi-final of the year with some solid performances. But she was thrashed by Sakkari in the semis and the Greek would once again prove to be her nemesis in Japan last week. You have to wonder what kind of mental impact those consecutive Sakkari beatings will have.
Still, Garcia won this title in 2017 and she does have the capacity to bounce back from adversity. She just survived a three-set scrap against Putinseva and she will be hoping for something more emphatic this time out.
World No.28 Anhelina Kalinina will be looking for a quick turnaround after losing to Garcia in last week’s Japan Open. However, the Ukrainian started this week in grand style, picking up the upset of the tournament with a three-set win against Marketa Vondrousova.
It was Kalinina’s first top-10 win of the season and it really showcased her durability from the back of the court. Kalinina has really been riding the wave of her tremendous run to the Rome final earlier this season. She will be hoping that the Vondrousova upset will reignite something in her somewhat flagging game.
She just saw off Saville quite comfortably and I don’t think she will be feeling overly daunted by this rematch. She has lived through war and that fighting spirit really comes out in her tennis.
Verdict: Kalinina to win in three sets
Garcia won their first meeting in Japan last week. I think Kalinina’s win over Vondrousova will give her a lot of confidence. A deeply analytical player, Kalinina will have learnt plenty from her defeat to Garcia last week and a surprise could be on the cards (especially when you look at Garcia’s chaotic form this entire year).
