“No one wants to win a match like this” – Coco Gauff‘s reaction after Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the R16 match at the China Open. Surely, she expected to get some more game time and competitive tennis from her previous match, but Osaka’s back injury brought an unfortunate ending to this epic battle. Next up for her is Ukraine’s Yulia Starodubtsewa in the QF.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian has been in decent form recently, but is it enough to topple a Top 10 opponent?

Coco Gauff vs Yulia Starodubtsewa: Preview

Coco Gauff has played some outstanding tennis in the initial phases of this season. She started her season by winning the title at the ASB Classic and then went on to reach the SF of the AO. After that, although she made quite a few SF and QF runs, the youngster failed to convert them into fruitful results. She entered this tournament on the back of a disappointing North American hardcourt swing. Gauff was defeated by Emma Navarro in the R16 of the 2024 US Open. However, here in Beijing, she hasn’t yet dropped a set and now it will be interesting to see how she approaches this game against a relatively lesser-known player.

Can Yulia Starodubtsewa come up with a surprise against someone like Coco Gauff? Well, in tennis we’ve witnessed quite a few surprising results in the past. If we look at her track record this season, Starodubtsewa has made quite a few deep runs into her previous tournaments this year. That includes her QF runs at the Puerto Vallarta Open and the recently concluded Jasmin Open. So, far, the Ukrainian has played six matches in this tournament (including the qualifiers) but even she hasn’t yet dropped a set. She defeated Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya by 7-5,6-0 in her R16 match. What will be the scoreline in the next?

Gauff vs Starodubtsewa: Head-to-Head

Coco Gauff has never played against Yulia Starodubtsewa in her career as of now. So, this match has all the potential to come up with a few surprises. Looking at the form that Starodubtsewa is currently having at the moment, can we expect her to win a set against Gauff?

Prediction: Gauff to win in straight sets

Sadly for the Ukrainian tennis fans, we’re expecting Coco Gauff to seal a comfortable victory in this match. Reason? It’s definitely going to be her big match experience and her records on this surface. Apart from these two factors, if we take a look at their current form and rankings. Coco Gauff is currently ranked 6th in the world and she has a win-loss record of 44-15. On the other hand, Yulia Starodubtsewa (115) has a win-loss record of just 39-21. However, due to her incredible run in the last few tournaments, she has now achieved a new career-high ranking at the WTA Live Rankings. She is placed at the 79th spot on that list.

Now, shifting our focus to their playing styles, Yulia Starodubtsewa plays a fast and aggressive brand of tennis. She aims to attack at the first opportunity and generally doesn’t prefer waiting for her opponents to commit mistakes. Starodubtsewa also possesses a powerful serve and a strong forehand. Her incredible baseline game may cause some trouble for Coco Gauff in this match.

On the other hand, Coco Gauff describes her playing style as aggressive, however, we often see her taking up a defensive approach in her matches. Although she has a strong serve in her armory, Gauff has struggled a lot with her serves this season. She has already committed nearly 315 double faults in 2024, whereas she could only manage to hit 186 aces as of now. Gauff’s incredible athleticism and swift movements on the court have made her a real threat on the Tour. Apart from that, she can also bring a lot of variations in her shots to confuse her opponents. So, considering all these factors, we believe Coco Gauff is more likely to get through to the SF in Beijing.