The second semifinal of this year’s United Cup is as exciting as the first one and perfectly balanced. World No.3 Coco Gauff will take on Karolina Muchova and world No.4 Taylor Fritz will face Tomas Machac. The American team is stronger on paper but Czechia can’t be underestimated. As always, we at LWOT will offer our predictions for the tie. But which team will advance to the finals?
United Cup Semifinal Predictions: U.S.A. vs Czechia
Taylor Fritz vs Tomas Machac
Head-to-Head: Fritz 1-0 Machac
Both these players have bounced back brilliantly after losing their first match. Fritz played a solid match against a dangerous opponent, Zhizhen Zhang, and didn’t face a single break point in the match. Machac will be a tougher opponent and has a very high peak. However, Fritz has the advantage on serve and will be the favourite in tiebreaks. Both have solid backhands but Machac can cause more openings with his double-hander. All in all, it’s a tough one to pick as both are close to each other when playing at their best. I will go with Fritz.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Coco Gauff vs Karolina Muchova
Head-to-Head: Gauff 3-0 Muchova
Coco Gauff hasn’t lost a set so far at this year’s United Cup. Her first-set performance against Shuai Zhang was far from great but made up for it in the second set. Gauff has a perfect record against Muchova, but the Czech player can’t be counted out, especially after she played a flawless match against world No.4 Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals. Muchova saved all 10 break points and will back herself against Gauff. I am going with the underdog in this one to level the tie.
Prediction: Muchova in 3
Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz vs Karolina Muchova and Tomas Machac
Head-to-Head: First meeting
The doubles match is as interesting as the singles and could go either way. Gauff and Fritz won both their matches while Muchova and Machac lost against Poland. The Czech team will look to attack Gauff’s second serve as they won’t get much when Fritz is serving. I like the overall balance of the Czechia team but they can falter under pressure. Very tough to predict and I will go with my instincts.
Prediction: Muchova/Machac in 3
Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports
