The final of the 2023 WTA Auckland Classic will see Coco Gauff take Rebeka Masarova. The former is the top seed at this event whilst the latter had to battle her way through the qualifying. But who will clinch the title?
WTA Auckland Final Prediction
Coco Gauff vs Rebeka Masarova
Head-to-head: first meeting
Despite finishing her 2022 campaign at world #4, Coco Gauff only made one final that year, losing to Iga Swiatek at the French Open. Her ranking was built on many deep runs, but she wasn’t able to turn them into titles or even runner-up appearances. Now she’s got a chance to clinch her 3rd WTA Tour trophy (Linz 2019, Parma 2021) in the very first week of the year. So far in Auckland, she’s been absolutely destroying her opposition, dropping just 20 games in 4 matches.
Standing between her and the title is Rebeka Masarova, who went on a fantastic run here despite starting from the qualifying draw. A former junior world #2, the 23-year-old made a WTA Tour semifinal in Gstaad back in 2016, but had only grabbed one more tour-level main draw win before this week. She’s also yet to lose to a set in Auckland, winning six matches in straights and posting a perfect 5-0 tiebreak record.
Does Masarova have a shot at Gauff? The Spaniard is playing tennis far above her ranking and she’s always been an underrated player waiting for a breakthrough. Her serve has been at the center of this run, especially as she had to play her first three rounds indoors due to heavy rain in Auckland this week. She’s got a big enough game to trouble the favorite, but Gauff hasn’t been looking too shabby either and is yet to drop more than four games in a set. To make things worse for Masarova, the pressure could be overwhelming as this is by far the biggest match of his pro career. The American has been there, done that, even though it’s just her fourth WTA Tour final.
Prediction: Gauff in 2
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
