Coco Gauff‘s dream was to represent her nation at the Olympics. She accomplished her dream in Paris but failed to perform when it mattered the most. She faced an early exit from the mega event at the hands of Croatia’s Donna Vekić. Now, the 2023 US Open champion wants to forget that disappointing campaign with a stellar start to her North American hard-court swing.

She will face China’s Yafan Wang in her first match at the Canadian Open. Can the 30-year-old Chinese tennis star upset the top-seeded American tennis icon?

Coco Gauff vs Yafan Wang: Preview

Gauff had a stellar start to her season, winning the title at the ASB Classic. She came closer to clinching a title multiple times this year, but failed to deliver. Gauff has reached five SFs and two QFs. She was defeated by Vekic by a 7-6(7), 6-2 margin in the R3 at the Paris Olympics and now she looks to redeem her exit from the Olympics.

Wang’s best results this season have been reaching the SF twice and QF this year. Playing since the first qualifier, the Chinese star hasn’t dropped a set. She defeated, Sofia Kenin in her previous match 7-5, 7-6(3). The Chinese player has performed average under pressure as she took saved 4/7 breakpoints, and managed to take 5/8, showing great dominance over her opponents.

Gauff vs Wang: Head-to-Head

The two haven’t faced each other on the Tour yet. The 20-year-old might be struggling with her form a bit recently, but she has definitely a force to reckon with in the women’s tour. She is now already spending her 100th career week in the Top 10 of the WTA rankings this week. So, this is not going to be an easy match for Yafan Wang!

Prediction: Gauff to win in straight sets

Gauff is a completely different player when it comes to the hard courts. Last year she was defeated by the eventual winner Jessica Pegula in the QF, so this time the top-seeded tennis star will try to come up with a better performance. She has a win-loss record of 37-12 this season but for the Chinese, it’s 12-11. Even in the rankings, Gauff (2) is miles ahead of Wang (72). Considering all these factors, the American looks like a clear favorite in this match. She failed to hit even a single ace but committed 7 double faults.

Although Gauff describes her game style as aggressive, she is often seen taking a defensive approach in her matches. She has a big serve which could rattle her opponents at any point of the match. However, her serve has been rather troublesome for some time now, and it seems it will continue in Canada. She won 55% of her first serve and 44% of her second serve against Vekic in the Olympics. The concern doubles as she has only hit 156 with 256 double faults!

But, her swift movement along with her incredible athleticism is one of her biggest strengths and saving grace. She has a lethal backhand which has been used to destroy many opponents, and Wang might be one of them.

Wang Yafan on the other hand, is more of a hard hitter who also has an impressive serving ability. She loves to play strong groundstrokes from the baseline and is also a good returner of the ball. Her aggressive approach to the game allows her to dictate the play and go for winners instead of engaging in longer rallies. Can she dictate the game on her own terms against the world number 2 though? Looks very unlikely at the moment!