Coco Gauff Sets up Canadian Open Quarterfinal Clash With Jessica Pegula as ‘A Lot of Waiting’ Fails to Dampen Her Spirits

Coco Gauff has carried her momentum from her Washington Open title to the Canadian Open. The American teenager has finally regained her earlier form and become a difficult player to dominate. In her second-round bout, she overcame Markéta Vondroušová, the reigning Wimbledon champ. However, the next clash will prove to be more of a mental task than a physical one as she is all set to face her doubles partner, Jessica Pegula.

Gauff and Pegula have faced each other twice before their upcoming matchup – Once in the 2022 Dubai Tennis Championships and once during the Eastbourne International prior to Wimbledon. The stats between them are quite similar and hence provide no clue as to who will prevail in the upcoming bout.

Coco Gauff to face Jessica Pegula at Canadian Masters

The doubles partners are on fire in their singles tour in Montreal. Stepping into the Canadian Open, the two were unfortunate enough to be placed in the brackets which created the matchup. Pegula has had a smashing path to the quarterfinal. The third-ranked player won both of her matches without dropping a set and even achieved a bagel. Similarly, Gauff too has not lost a single set and even scored a bagel against the Wimbledon champ Markéta Vondroušová.

Gauff’s match with Vondroušová saw immense delay due to worsening weather. Gauff shared the status of the delay on her Instagram story with a selfie. She wrote, “3 court changes. 8 hours of rain. 1 nap. A couple card games. A lot of waiting. And a dub later. #raindelays“. Regardless of the inconveniences, she emerged as the victor and will now face her partner. 

Impressive as their performance may be, one has to exit the tournament now. The Canadian Open has set a quarterfinal between the doubles partners, which proves to be a difficult encounter for both. Looking at their current form, it is already promising to be a great bout, but their head-to-head statistics say that it could go in favor of either of the two.

READ MORE: ‘You Both Lost to Iga’ – Kristina Mladenovic Consoles Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff After Another Loss at French Open 2022

Who will prevail in the All-American clash?

The young American sensation and the daughter of the owners of the Buffalo Bills have played against each other twice. First, in the 2022 Dubai Masters, Pegula emerged victorious at 6-4, 6-4 and advanced further. However, in the 2023 Eastbourne International, Gauff outplayed her partner in the quarterfinal 6-3, 6-3.

Noting the similarities between the surfaces of the Dubai and Canadian Masters, one might assume Pegula to be the victor. But both players have gone through great mental development in the past few months. Gauff has also outperformed herself with the addition of Brad Gilbert to her coaching team. As the bout comes closer, who do you think will move on to the semifinal? Tell us in the comments!

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