Coco Gauff eased into the round of 16 at the 2024 China Open by beating British No. 1 Katie Boulter in straight sets. Gauff led 5-2 in the opening set before she was pegged back to 5-5. However, she secured a crucial break down the stretch to clinch the set 7-5 courtesy of two untimely errors from Boulter’s racket.

The second set was one-way traffic as Gauff asserted her authority on the match, breaking serve twice and converting her second match point to round off a 7-5, 6-2 victory in 85 minutes. 

This was Gauff’s sixth win on a hard court since the start of August. 

Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, was forced to play her third-round match against Katie Voylnets 24 hours later because of persistent rain on Sunday. The Japanese star comfortably defeated the young American 6-3, 6-2 in 78 minutes. 

In the victory, Osaka tallied five aces and one double fault. She got 56% of first serves in play and won 82% of first serve points (23/28). Osaka won 68% of second-serve points (15/22) and converted three of eight break points.

This was also Osaka’s sixth win on a hard court since the start of August.

Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka Head-To-Head

• Gauff and Osaka are tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head. 

• The pair haven’t met since the 2022 San Jose Open.

Coco Gauff vs Naomi Osaka Prediction

Osaka has been hit-and-miss for most of this year, but this has been a very good start for her and Patrick Mouratoglou as far as their new partnership goes. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with her composure, and you can almost see the instant impact brought by the experienced French coach, who has more of a mentor role.

Gauff is seeking a new coach after cutting ties with Brad Gilbert, but the obvious frailties still linger in her game. Osaka is the value pick here. This tournament already feels like a major turning point in her second coming, and we are happily backing her to come out on top of this blockbuster.