Australian Open in Melbourne, semi-finals, Thursday, 25.01.2024
It’s a repeat of the US Open final, only one round earlier! At the Australian Open 2024, I now get to deal with a top-class semi-final that couldn’t be better matched.
Aryna Sabalenka meets Coco Gauff, so the world number 2 faces the world number 4. Will the form of the day be the only deciding factor in who fights their way into the final? In any case, both have Grand Slam know-how this far ahead!
The bookmakers have the player with the more experience ahead and I’ll tell you straight away: I would also place this single bet! Why exactly that is the case is now revealed in my exclusive Gauff Sabalenka tip
Coco Gauff is only 19 years old and she can already claim: I’m more than just a gigantic talent, more than just a one-hit wonder! The US-American has set herself the goal of being one of the world’s top players for many, many years.
After several strong tournaments, she showed the competition at the last US Open and crowned herself in front of her fans. Her opponent at 2-6, 6-3, 6-3: Aryna Sabalenka, who she will also face now.
For the first time in her young career, she has now reached two Grand Slam semi-finals in a row, which shows her new consistency. Has she had any major problems in the tournament so far?
Not at first, but later on! In the first few rounds, Gauff stormed from match to match, beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (6-3, 6-0), Caroline Dolehide (7-6, 6-2), Alycia Parks (6-0, 6-2) and Magda Frech (6-1, 6-2) easily
Only Marta Kostjuk managed to really push the young Gauff to her limits in the quarter-finals. A very lively match developed, but in the end the favorite left the court with a narrow 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 victory.
In rounds 3 and 4, she hadn’t given her opponents a single chance to break, but against Kostjuk she was given 14 opportunities. An indication that even Coco Gauff can still feel nervous?
At just 19, she is certainly entitled to be. Although she is still so young and is therefore considered a child prodigy, she has already been able to compete with Aryna Sabalenka on one or two occasions
There have already been six duels in recent years, four of which went to the USA! The most important one was of course at the recent US Open, but four wins from the past five duels speaks for itself.
Is the direct comparison also reflected in the betting odds? This is actually not the case, as Sabalenka is ahead with an average of 1.55 to 2.35 in our best sports betting apps.
Of course, the Belarusian knows what an unpleasant opponent the draw has given her. Gauff could be the first to present her with problems, as Sabalenka has played all of her matches in Melbourne in quick succession
Neither did Barbora Krejkicova really manage to challenge her in the quarter-finals, the favorite quickly moving on with a 6-2, 6-3 win. She may not have had the strongest opponents beforehand, but there was still no uncertainty in the match.
Amanda Anisimova (6-3, 6-2), Lessja Zurenko (6-0, 6-0), Brenda Fruhvirtova (6-3, 6-2) and the German Ella Seidel (6-0, 6-1), the world No. 2, proved to be tough as iron and handed out a few smashes.
She only conceded three breaks against her and came close to the average mark of 80% points won on her first serve. With these statistics, it is of course no wonder that she is the favorite going into the semi-finals
My Sabalenka Gauff tip
It’s a top-class semi-final that you can only look forward to! I would also like to recommend the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff to you because the US American loves playing against the world No. 2.
Sabalenka didn’t even show any nerves in Melbourne, now it’s time to take revenge for the 2023 US Open. Based on my analysis, I also believe that she will succeed.
She simply doesn’t stumble in Down Under and is also the defending champion. Since Gauff already had to fight in the quarter-finals and Sabalenka was able to save more energy, I’m leaning towards the following tip:
Sabalenka beats Gauff!
