Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff are due to play the most highly anticipated match of this year’s US Open on Monday for a spot in the quarter-finals.
It is a mouth-watering match-up between two former champions, both of whom have had to fight through so much to get where they are today.
What is so special about this showdown is the vast difference in play style, with Naomi Osaka’s power and dominance an intriguing contrast to Coco Gauff’s athleticism and tactical know-how.
It really feels like whoever comes out on top will cement their spot as a title favourite, and one pundit has now revealed what he thinks will be the key decider.
Naomi Osaka’s US Open match vs Coco Gauff previewed
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, all three pundits combined to weigh in on this blockbuster showdown, set to be played on Monday night.
Matt Roberts was the first to comment, noting: “Such an intriguing match, considering everything going on with Gauff’s game and considering this much better form than Naomi Osaka’s in.
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“And if Osaka can win it, she then reaches that point in the tournament, where…”.
“Where she’ll definitely win the title,” Catherine Whitaker interjected, laughing.
Roberts continued: “Right, because she’s never lost. Like, the fourth round has been the one. If she gets past the fourth round, she’s gone on to convert all of those into titles. As much as I would love to have Coco Gauff in this tournament, I’d love to have Naomi Osaka and just test that theory, whether she’s still that big-match player that she always was.
“I’m excited about it, but I don’t want to lose either of them either.”
David Law then offered his conclusive comments: “You’ve got the biggest, best, big-match player in the sport in Coco Gauff, who manages to win matches playing really not very well, against somebody who really struggles not to get down on herself and get frustrated, and is out of practice of winning big.
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“And I think that that is the big test. Toe to toe, the better tennis I’ve seen has been from Osaka. And I think she can hit heights that Gauff won’t, but can she actually win a big match like this against such a strong mental opponent like Gauff?
“I think that’s where the match lies to me.”
Osaka has revealed how she feels about having to play Gauff, and is unsurprisingly apprehensive about the US Open crowd.
Coco Gauff’s 2023 US Open title run
Gauff’s 2023 run to the US Open title was a fairytale story, marking the first American woman to win the event since Sloane Stephens in 2017.
It was the passing of the torch, and she actually picked up some high-profile wins on her way to hometown glory.
She started her journey with a battling comeback performance, beating Laura Siegemund despite dropping the first set, before then sweeping aside Mirra Andreeva.
Elise Mertens and Caroline Wozniacki both took her to a deciding third set, but failed to kill her momentum, with Gauff then issuing a statement victory as she dominated Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals.
Karolina Muchova suffered the same fate, losing in straight sets and thus setting up a final showdown with Aryna Sabalenka.
Just as she did earlier this year at the French Open, Gauff managed awkward conditions to come from a set down to topple the Belarusian.
A legendary run from a player still so young.