Coco Gauff and Venus Williams get a Sequel : here is the Draw !
Hard to believe, but true: After their match-talked-about 2019 Wimbledon Round 1 clash, from which Coco Gauff had famously emerged victorious, she and Venus Williams — 24 years her senior — are set to rematch in the 2020 Australian Open Round 1. In accordance with her No. 8 seed, Serena Williams inherited of a manageable draw… until the quarterfinals, where she could meet defending champion Naomi Osaka on the road to a record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.
Venus Williams and Cori Gauff first met at Wimbledon in 2019, and Gauff defeated her idol Williams !
By Bastien Fachan
Notable Round 1 matches:
— Venus Williams v. Coco Gauff —
1 out of 16181: Those were the odds that Venus Williams and Coco Gauff face each other twice in the first round of three consecutive Grand Slams. The 15-year-old, who said she’s been idolising the seven-time Grand Slam champion since she was young (not that she isn’t anymore…), will get to face Venus Williams for a second time after stunning her for her maiden Grand Slam main draw last year at Wimbledon (6-4, 6-4). But is Gauff still the outsider, this time, after climbing as high to the world No. 66 ranking, just 11 spots shy of Venus, who nears her forties? We shall see… and we can’t wait to!
— [19] Donna Vekic v. Maria Sharapova —
It would have been be a must-watch if unseeded Maria Sharapova drew a seed — regardless of the seed — and so she did in No. 20 seed Donna Vekic. Sharapova, the 2008 champion in Melbourne, has been struggling with frequent injuries and form slumps since coming back after a 15-month suspension in 2017. The consequence of this is she’s not immune to the draws anymore and after getting Serena Williams at the US Open (l. 6-1, 6-1), she’s set to face another dangerous opponent. Donna Vekic may have never gotten past the Round 2 at the Australian Open (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019), but she reached the quarterfinals in New York just months ago.
[2] Karolina Pliskova v. Mladenovic
The No. 2 seed — yet to win a Grand Slam — versus a former top 10 player who earned France the Fed Cup just two months ago by defeating world No. 1 Ash Barty. As Round 1 crackers come and go, Pliskova-Mladenovic has ‘upset’ written all over it. Pliskova defends a substantial stack of points in Melbourne, where she reached the semifinals last year (l. to eventual champion Naomi Osaka).
Potential Round of 16 matches (based on seedings):
Barty v. Martic
Keys v. Kvitova
Osaka v. Kenin
Konta v. S. Williams
Bencic v. Sabalenka
Mertens v. Halep
Svitolina v. Bertens
Vondrousova v. Pliskova
Ash Barty’s projected path to the title:
R1 Tsurenko
R2 Hercog
R3 Rybakina
R4 Martic / Riske
QF Kvitova
SF Osaka / S. Williams
F Pliskova/Halep
Naomi Osaka’s projected path to the title:
R1 Bouzkova
R2 Zheng
R3 Strycova / V. Williams / Gauff
R4 Stephens / Kenin
QF Serena
SF Barty / Kvitova
F Pliskova/Halep
Serena Williams’ projected path to the title:
R1 – Potapova
R2 – Zidansek / Han
R3 – Wang
R4 – Konta / Yastremska
QF – Osaka
SF – Barty / Kvitova
F – Pliskova / Halep
