Indian Wells Open 2024: Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming details

Published at :March 13, 2024 at 8:38 PM

Modified at :March 13, 2024 at 8:38 PM

(Courtesy : TOI/WTA)

This is the fourth meeting between both players.

Coco Gauff will face Belgian Elise Mertens in the last 16 stage of the Indian Wells Open 2024. Gauff, who will celebrate her 20th birthday on Wednesday, played her final match as a teenager against Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti. The American teenager defeated Bronzetti 6-2, 7-6(5) to advance to the round of 16 at the Indian Wells Open 2024, taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head record.

Despite struggling with her serve and saving 10 of 11 breakpoints—nine in the first set alone—Gauff managed to secure the victory. Bronzetti was close to pushing the match to a third set during the second set tiebreak at 5-4, but Gauff won the next three points, dashing the Italian’s hopes of progressing to the next round.

Gauff has faced challenges throughout the tournament. In her second-round match against Clara Burel, she was down 0-4 in the third set, on the brink of elimination, but she mounted a comeback to win the hard-fought match in three sets, lasting 2 hours and 16 minutes.

Gauff’s winning streak in the United States now extends to 18 matches, starting with the 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open and including her victory at last year’s US Open.

In the round of 16, Gauff will compete against Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who hindered Naomi Osaka’s return to form with a 7-5, 6-4 victory. After receiving a bye in the first round, Mertens comfortably defeated her second-round opponent, China’s Xinyu Wang, in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4.

Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens Preview

Coco Gauff, after a first-round bye, faced tough competition in her subsequent matches. Clara Burel claimed a set against the World No. 3 in the second round, while Lucia Bronzetti proved to be a formidable opponent, pushing Gauff to a tiebreak in the second set and creating numerous breakpoint opportunities. However, Bronzetti’s chance slipped away when her backhand hit the net at a crucial moment in the tiebreak, leading 5-4.

Both Mertens and Gauff enjoyed first-round byes, but Mertens has spent less time on the court, totaling 3 hours and 14 minutes, compared to Gauff’s 4 hours and 12 minutes.

Elise Mertens has had a smoother journey to the fourth round, not losing a single set. She reached the finals at Hobart and the quarterfinals at Linz earlier this year. Gauff, on the other hand, started the year strong by successfully defending her ASB Classic title in Auckland and making a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, the season’s first Grand Slam.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 3

Coco Gauff – 3

Elise Mertens – 0

Coco Gauff and Elise Mertens have faced off once each year over the past three years. Their first encounter was in the Round of 32 at Eastbourne in 2021, followed by a Round of 16 clash at the 2022 French Open, and most recently, a Round of 32 match at the 2023 US Open.

The Roland Garros match was a straight-sets victory for Gauff, ending 6-4, 6-0. The matches at Eastbourne, with scores of 0-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, and at Flushing Meadows, ending 3-6, 6-3, 6-0, were more hard-fought, as Mertens pushed both to three sets before Gauff secured the wins.

Where and how to watch live streaming and TV broadcast of Coco Gauff vs Elise Mertens, Indian Wells Open 2024 fourth round match, in India?

The round of 16 face-off between Elise Mertens and Coco Gauff is scheduled to broadcast in India on 14th March.

SonyLiv and the Sony Network are the two options providing high-quality live coverage of the ATP 1000 event. Tennis enthusiasts in India can also subscribe to Tennis TV to watch the first of the two Sunshine Double events this season.

Prediction

Coco Gauff’s performance on the WTA tour in 2024 has seen a downturn compared to her exceptional and record-setting season in 2023. Despite a semi-final appearance in Melbourne, she secured only two victories at the WTA 1000 events in Dubai and Doha, suffering defeats to lower-ranked players. In Doha, Gauff exited in the second round, and in Dubai, she faced a quarterfinal loss.

Elise Mertens reached the finals of the 2024 Hobart International, a tournament she has previously won twice. Her 2017 victory came as a qualifier, and she successfully defended her title in 2018 as a main draw entrant. Returning to Linz for the first time since her 2020 finals defeat to Aryna Sabalenka, Mertens advanced to the quarterfinals in the 2024 event.

The fourth-round encounter at Indian Wells marks the fourth career meeting between Gauff and Mertens and their first at this venue. Gauff boasts a superior record at the BNP Paribas Open, reaching the quarterfinals on her third attempt after two third-round exits. Mertens, on the other hand, has found less success at Indian Wells, with her best performances being two round of 32 appearances in 2019 and 2022.

Delving into the 2024 statistics, both players exhibit a high percentage of service games won. Gauff narrowly outperforms Mertens with a winning percentage of 71.1% to Mertens’ 70.5%. The World No. 3 has secured 68.9% of points on her first serve, slightly ahead of Mertens’ 67.9%.

However, a significant disparity is evident in the returning games’ winning percentages. Gauff’s winning percentage stands at 53% for 2024, while Mertens trails at 36.3%—a nearly 17% difference. This gap could prove disadvantageous for the Belgian as the two competitors prepare to face off on Wednesday

Result: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets.

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