Two in-form players, Coco Gauff (USA) and Xinyu Gao (China) are all set to face each other in the QF of the 2025 United Cup. While speaking about her Chinese opponent in the upcoming match, we heard Gauff say, “I watched a couple of her matches, and she’s having an incredible week, obviously. Yeah, I expect her to play loose. She has nothing to lose. Yeah, I feel I’m playing in good form too, so it’s going to be a fun one.” Gao has nothing to lose but a lot to gain from this match. On the other hand, Coco Gauff is keen to forget her woes from the Paris Olympics with glory for her nation at the United Cup. Can she overcome this Chinese hurdle?

Coco Gauff vs Xinyu Gao: Preview

American tennis star Coco Gauff started the 2024 season with a bang by winning the ASB Classic. After that, she reached the SF of the AO, Indian Wells Masters, Italian Open, French Open, and the Grass Court Championships in Berlin. She came closer to clinching titles multiple times this year, but she couldn’t covert her chances in those deciders. Her second title triumph at the China Open and then she eventually managed to close the season by winning the WTA Finals.

Coco Gauff is entering this battle, following two consecutive victories in both of her previous matches. The first one came against Leylah Fernandez (CAN) and then the second one was against the Croatian, Donna Vekić. Can Gauff make it 3 out of 3 at the 2025 United Cup?

Well, the answer partly lies at the hands of this 27-year-old Chinese. Xinyu Gao won quite a few titles last season. She won the W25 Dominican Republic 01A by beating Mexico’s Victoria Rodriguez by 6-3,6-2 in the final. After that, she won the ITF China 01A and the ITA Tunisia 37A. So, most of her successes came to the ITF level last year.

Gao defeated the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia by 5-7,6-4,7-5 in her first match at the 2025 United Cup. Then, in the second one, she yet again won a hard-fought battle against Germany’s Laura Siegemund.

Gauff vs Gao: Head-to-Head

Coco Gauff has never faced Xinyu Gao in her career so far and this is exactly what makes this contest more interesting. Can we expect the unexpected from this match, though?

Prediction: Gauff to win in straight sets

Considering their performances in the last twelve months on the bigger stages, there shouldn’t be a doubt about who’s the real favorite in this contest. However, in tennis, we’ve witnessed a few surprises as well, so Xinyu Gao may throw up a few challenges in this match. Coco Gauff (3) had a win-loss record of 54-17 in the 2024 season, whereas Xinyu Gao (175) recorded just 1-3 on the main Tour. However, on the ITF level, Gao has a record of 29-9! Is it enough to put her ahead of someone like Coco Gauff?

Well, definitely not! Xinyu Gao is known for her all-court finesse and versatility. Her ability to move and swing freely makes her a really tricky opponent to face. Gao likes to get on the front foot and be aggressive, but doesn’t possess the overwhelming firepower that is needed to trouble someone like Coco Gauff.

Coco Gauff is known for her incredible athleticism and excellent defensive game. She’s a “fighter” on the court and can generate real power behind her shots. Apart from that, she can mix up her shots pretty well and has the ability to win longer rallies. However, despite being a big serve, Gauff has had some issues with her serves in the last few months. Her major weakness has been her high number of double fault counts.

So, she needs to keep a check on this in the 2025 season. However, this isn’t enough to make her second-best against someone like Xinyu Gao, so Gauff is the favorite in the epic battle!