Remember, a few years ago, Emma Raducanu became the talk of the town by becoming the first British woman to win a single major (2021 US Open) since Virginia Wade at the 1977 Wimbledon Championships? Following that, almost two years later, another young gun, Coco Gauff, became the first American teenager to win the US Open since Serena Williams (1999). Although Gauff has traveled miles since that emphatic triumph and secured herself inside the Top 3 in women’s tennis, Raducanu has struggled a bit with injuries and a lack of form in the past few years.

However, in March this year, Raducanu managed to reach her first WTA 1000 QF at the Miami Open. It also marked the first time she won four consecutive matches at the same tournament since her incredible run at the 2021 US Open. Is the Brit getting back to her vintage form slowly and steadily? Well, she has gotten off to an impressive start at the Italian Open, and next up for her is Gauff. Who’ll win this duel of superstars in the R16?

Coco Gauff vs Emma Raducanu: Preview

If we take a look at Coco Gauff‘s track record this season, she reached the QF at the AO and the Stuttgart Open. After that, although she made it all the way to the finals in Madrid, she was taken down by the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, by 3-6,6(3)-7. Here in Rome, she took three sets to defeat Canada’s Victoria Mboko in her first match, but Gauff secured a comfortable 7-5,6-3 victory over Poland’s Magda Linette in the R32. What does she have to say about her next opponent, though? While sharing her thoughts about her match against Raducanu, she said, “She’s obviously a great player and the last time we played, it was a tough match.” Gauff believes the Brit has the game to be a great clay-court player.

But clay courts have never been Emma Raducanu‘s favorite surface. Instead, she loves playing on the faster courts. She had always had this “love-hate” relationship with this surface. Raducanu’s clay court campaign for the 2025 season started in Madrid, where she won her first match, but went down in the next round to Marta Kostyuk. At the Italian Open, she is now on a three-match winning streak. Raducanu had to put in some hard yards to secure a 5-7,6-0,6-1 victory over Veronika Kudemetova (RUS) in the R32. Talking about her next match against Gauff, Raducanu said, “It’s exciting – it’s going to be a match where I can test myself.” Not only that, she also hailed the American as a “great freighter” and a “great opponent.” Who in between these two has the upper hand in the H2H record, though?

Gauff vs Raducanu: Head-to-Head

Both these players turned pro in 2018, but interestingly, they haven’t met each other as much on the Tour. Their only meeting came almost two years ago, where Coco Gauff got the better of the Brit, and hence, she leads the H2H record against Emma Raducanu by a fine margin (1-0).

• 2023 Australian Open Second Round: Gauff 6-3,7-6 (4).

Prediction: Gauff Will Seal This Match in Straight Sets

Reason? Well, although Raducanu has bagged some wins in her bag in the clay court swing this year, she hasn’t yet been tested against tougher opponents on this surface. We saw what happened when she faced Kostyuk in Madrid. Hence, against someone like Coco Gauff, I feel she might find it a bit more difficult. Gauff has a decent track record on this surface. She not only won her first career junior Grand Slam title on this surface (2018 French Open), but also reached the final of the French Open in 2022. Other than that, she had previously reached the SFs in Rome in 2021 and 2024.

Talking about other aspects that keep the American ahead in this match are their numbers. Coco Gauff has a win-loss record of 21-7 in 2025, 8-2 on clay. On the other side, Emma Raducanu has secured a record of just 11-8 this season, with 4-1 on clay.

Both these players have struggled a bit with their serves in the last few years, and recently, Raducanu’s new part-time coach, Jim Courier, was seen bringing some changes in her service motion by adding more shoulder turns in order to give her a little more disguise and a little more power. With these little tweaks, Raducanu has managed to keep things tidy in both of her previous matches, but on the other hand, Gauff has already committed 14 double faults in her two matches in Rome. So, this should be a bit of concern for the American.

But talking about their overall playing styles, Emma Raducanu is primarily a baseline player known for her strong two-handed backhand and aggressive, early ball striking. She’s very adept at redirecting power down the line and also uses a varied array of shots to keep her opponents guessing. Other than that, her impressive tactical acumen along with an aggressive court coverage ability make her a really special player on the Tour.

Coco Gauff (3), on the other hand, is known for her aggressive, all-court style characterized by a powerful serve and equally strong groundstrokes. Her incredible athleticism allows her to adapt to various surfaces and opponents pretty easily. She has an excellent defensive game and also an incredible fighting spirit, which helped her bring out her A-game during the intense situations of her matches. Even Gauff can also mix up her shots pretty well and has a unique ability to win longer rallies. Although the high number of double faults may be a bit of concern in her game, I don’t think she will have much trouble winning this match against someone like Raducanu (49).