By Tony Fairbairn
- Coco Gauff [3] v Paula Badosa
- Alex De Minaur [9] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [18]
- Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Elina Svitolina [16]
ROME, ITALY – Coco Gauff will take on a rejuvenated Paula Badosa as a place in the quarter-finals of Rome is up for grabs.
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Coco Gauff [3] v Paula Badosa H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Coco Gauff [3] v Paula Badosa | H2H: Badosa leads 3-1 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €52,480 |
| Second on Grand Stand Arena (Not before 12:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It hasn’t gone to plan for Coco Gauff over the clay court season so far but the American is determined to grind out results and change her luck sooner rather than later. The former Roland Garros finalist’s three set win over Jaqueline Cristian showed that Gauff will be hard to beat on this surface as she bids for more Grand Slam success in Paris. Now the 20 year-old looks to go one round further than she did in Madrid as she aims to regain momentum ahead of Roland Garros.
A big test awaits Gauff in the last 16 with a rejuvenated Paula Badosa standing in the American’s way of a place in the quarter-finals. Injuries and a lack of confidence have halted the Spaniard’s progress so far with Badosa seemingly running out of ideas in order to turn her bad form around. However now the 26 year-old has won back-to-back matches for the first time since the Australian Open as she now aims to reach her second consecutive Rome quarter-final.
Gauff will look to be aggressive on serve as she aims to rush Badosa’s baseline play and finish points off at the net. Meanwhile Badosa will look for depth and angles to open up the court as she aims to test the American’s defensive game. This will be a tough match for both players as a win could be pivotal in either player’s season but the momentum is with Badosa and she enters this match as favourite.
Prediction: Badosa in three sets.
Alex De Minaur [9] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [18] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Alex De Minaur [9] v Felix Auger-Aliassime [18] | H2H: Auger-Aliassime leads 2-0 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €51,665 |
| First on Grand Stand Arena (10:00 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
It’s been an impressive start to the season for Alex De Minaur who is looking to establish himself as a regular top 15 player. However standards are slipping for the Australian as De Minaur will be hoping to avoid a third consecutive tournament without winning back-to-back matches after early exits in Barcelona and Madrid. The world number eleven will be hoping to rediscover consistency on serve before a real dip in form arrives.
An in-form opponent awaits De Minaur with Felix Auger-Aliassime awaiting in the third round. The Canadian reached his first Masters 1000 final in Madrid where he fell just short to Andrey Rublev and has continued the momentum in Rome. Now Auger-Aliassime is looking to translate this into a stable run of form as he will aim for a deep Grand Slam run at Roland Garros.
De Minaur will dictate play from the forehand and hope to take advantage of any short second serve from the Canadian. Meanwhile Auger-Aliassime will aim to be consistent on serve and use the backhand to open up space on the court. Recent form suggests that the 18th seed should seal victory here but a huge opportunity awaits De Minaur and that could result in a huge increase in performance levels.
Prediction: Auger-Aliassime in three sets.
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Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Elina Svitolina [16] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Aryna Sabalenka [2] v Elina Svitolina [16] | H2H: Sabalenka leads 2-1 |
| Rome 2024 | Rome, Italy |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €52,480 |
| Fifth on Center Court (Not before 19:30 BST) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Aryna Sabalenka produced her most impressive performance of the season by demolishing Dayana Yastremska in order to reach the last 16 in Rome. The world number two is aiming to capitalize on a fantastic week in Madrid last week and establish herself as a contender for the Roland Garros title. Now Sabalenka will aim to compose herself when it matters most and produce another good performance against difficult opposition.
Standing in Sabalenka’s way of the quarter-finals is former champion Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian is once again producing high-quality tennis as she dispatched Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets to reach the last 16. Now Svitolina looks to continue to elevate her performances as she prepares to defend lots of ranking points over the next couple of months.
Sabalenka will continue to dominate on serve as she uses the forehand to limit Svitolina’s counter-attacking options. Meanwhile Svitolina will aim to use depth to pin Sabalenka behind the baseline therefore allowing the Ukrainian to be more aggressive. This should be a tight match but Sabalenka’s recent dominant form gives her the edge.
Prediction: Sabalenka in three sets.
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