Emma Raducanu says she is expecting a “great match” against Coco Gauff at the Australian Open on Wednesday, while Barry Cowan has called the second-round clash “intriguing”.
The meeting will pit probably the two biggest young stars in the game against each other, with both having transcended tennis in a way that even dominant world No 1 Iga Swiatek has not yet managed.
US Open champion Raducanu looked tentative early on during her opening match against German Tamara Korpatsch in Melbourne before settling in to complete a 6-3 6-2 win, while Gauff also raced into the second round after seeing off Katerina Siniakova 6-1 6-4.
Although she is nearly a year and a half older then Gauff, who is still only 18, Raducanu should also feel a certain freedom given the American is a lot more experienced and the seventh seed.
“I’m really looking forward to this match,” said the British No 1 ahead of the much-anticipated showdown. “I’m very up for it. Coco has obviously done a lot of great things and she’s playing well.
“I think we’re both good, young players, we’re both coming through, part of the next generation of tennis, really. It’s going to be a great match.”
Gauff has built on her remarkable breakthrough as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon in 2019, when she reached the fourth round, gaining experience and then stepping up last season by making the French Open final.
Raducanu is an admirer of the teenager, saying: “When she first came (through) at Wimbledon, I think after that it took her a little bit to adjust as well, but then she definitely found her feet.
“She’s playing really good tennis and looking really solid right now. She’s a great athlete with some big weapons. It’s going to be a tough opponent.”
“It’s a popcorn match. Not too many people would have thought the Raducanu would win the first major ahead of Coco Gauff. So Gauff will go into that thinking ‘oh, I’ve got a point to prove here’ and Raducanu will also be thinking, ‘well, you know, I might have the Grand Slam, but I also want your ranking right now’ so that’s what makes this really intriguing”
Raducanu has not been overwhelmed with friends in the locker room but Gauff is someone who has been warm towards her, recognising what a challenging situation the Bromley star found herself in after her stunning breakthrough triumph.
“I talk to her pretty much at all the tournaments,” said Gauff. “I didn’t really know her that well in juniors, but I’ve got to talk to her more on tour now.
“Obviously she’s gone through a lot of pressure, bursting onto the scene. I feel like probably more than I have experienced coming to win a Slam.
“And especially I feel like being from the UK, being the first British person to do something in a long time, probably is a lot more pressure than what I’m used to being an American. Serena is retired now but she was always the American that people looked to.”
Cowan believes Coco is closing in on Grand Slam glory
Gauff was runner-up to Poland’s Iga Swiatek in last year’s French Open final
TV analyst Barry Cowan feels Gauff has grown in stature since her run to Wimbledon as 15-year-old four years ago and she is now in the brink of winning her maiden Grand Slam title.
But he says making the leap depends on how the young American can handle the pressure.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I actually think Coco is the one who I think is getting very close to winning a major and she is going to win a major.
“Let us see how that service and let’s see how that forehand is under real pressure because the backhand is amazing, and physically, she’s amazing.
“Mentally, she’s off the charts. The composure that she has is very similar to (Carlos) Alcaraz. She will feed off the energy of the crowd. The crowd will feed off the energy of Coco. So I think she’s got a really, really good shot of getting close and potentially winning her first major.”
However, Cowan does have doubts about Gauff’s forehand which badly faltered under pressure during her French Open defeat to Iga Swiatek.
He added: “If I was confident the serve and the forehand could hold up under pressure, I’d say for me, she’s head and shoulders second favourite, but there is still a little bit of doubt in my mind.
“In the French Open final, that was always likely to happen because Swiatek was able to bully Coco because of those areas of a game that I mentioned that the very best players can expose.”