French Open 2024: Coco Gauff vs Ons Jabeur; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

The iconic Philippe-Chatrier is all set to witness yet another blockbuster clash between world no.3, Coco Gauff, and no.9, Ons Jabeur. Who will win this mega battle in the QF of the 2024 French Open? Both the players have played some exceptional tennis to reach here, but now they need to be at their absolute best to outclass the other. Coco Gauff secured her fourth consecutive QF appearance in Paris with a victory against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the fourth round.

On the other hand, the Tunisian tennis star, Ons Jabeur has now reached her 7th Grand Slam QF in her career. She defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson comfortably by 6-4,6-4 in the fourth of the tournament. She’s 8-3 on red clay this year but Coco Gauff hasn’t yet dropped a set in this tournament. This will surely be one of the most exciting matches in this round.

Coco Gauff vs Ons Jabeur: Preview

This season has started pretty well for the 20-year-old American. Coco Gauff has already won a title this year and apart from that she has also reached three SFs and two QFs in her previous tournaments this year. She defeated Cocciaretto by 6-1,6-2 in her previous match. Gauff hit three aces and committed five double faults against the Italian. She won 79% of her first serve and 85% of her second serve in that match. Coco Gauff managed to convert five of her seven breakpoints against Elisabetta Cocciaretto.

She has been in red-hot form this year but she’d now love to fully capitalize on that winning momentum and grab a few more titles in this season. Gauff has hit 115 aces and committed quite a few double faults (213) this year. So, this is something she needs to keep an eye on before heading to this mega clash against Jabeur. She has won 69.8% of her service games and 49.4% of her return games.

Her Tunisian opponent, Ons Jabeur has reached two QF in her previous tournaments this year. Her journey to this stage in Paris wasn’t as smooth as Gauff but she comfortably defeated Tauson in her previous match. Jabeur fired five aces and committed just three double faults against the Dane. She won 77% of her first serve and 46% of her second serve in that match. However, she could only manage to convert three of her seven breakpoints in that match.

Ons Jabeur has hit a total of 63 aces this season and she has committed 20 double faults. The former world number two won 63.9% of her service games and 33.3% of her return games. She has a vast experience of playing at the bigger stages of the game but Coco Gauff on the other hand, is the talk of the town! Gauff is currently word number three while Jabeur is placed at the number nine spot. But who’s leading their H2H scoreline?

Gauff vs Jabeur: Head-to-Head

They have met each other quite a few times previously on the Tour. Currently, Coco Gauff leads the H2H by a 4-2 margin. Their first meeting was in the QF of the Top Seed Open in 2020 and in that match, Gauff defeated Jabeur by 4-6,6-4,6-1. They had even faced each other in the fourth round of the 2021 French Open. The American yet again outclassed the Tunisian tennis star comfortably by 6-3,6-1. However, their last meeting was in 2023 at the WTA Finals.

Coco Gauff defeated Ons Jabeur at the Estadio Paradisus by a 6-0,6-1 scoreline. However, she hit only a single ace in the match and committed three double faults. Jabeur hit two aces and committed one double fault, she won 41% of her first serve and 35% of her second serve against the American. However, Coco Gauff managed to win 81% of her first serve and 73% of her second serve in that match. Gauff managed to convert five of her eight breakpoints against the Tunisian, but Jabeur couldn’t convert a single of her three breakpoint chances.

Prediction: Gauff to win in three sets

Coco Gauff has won 19 matches in Paris and only two Americans have won more singles matches at Roland Garros in their first five appearances. She reached the Finals in 2022 but what is the secret to her success at this venue? Well, Gauff’s athleticism and never-say-die attitude is what keeps her always ahead of her opponents on any surface. She plays an aggressive brand of tennis with big serving abilities, she is also good at her lob shots. However, her best shot is the two-handed backhand.

On the other hand, Ons Jabeur has a wide variety of shots in her bag. She likes to utilize slice and drop shots in particular to surprise her opponents. But will her drop shots be as effective against a player like Coco Gauff? Gauff is extremely fast and quite comfortable at the net, so perhaps the Tunisian needs to try some other weapons. But if we look at their win-loss record this season, Gauff has recorded 25-8 while it’s just 15-6 for Jabeur. So, looking at the current form and their style of play, the American looks slightly ahead on this surface.