In the sunburnt plains of the Melbourne Park, we find ourselves in the throes of a fascinating contest with two tennis darlings, Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez. Coco Gauff, the three-seed, comes into this matchup showing she's composed of the stuff of champions with a run that turns heads faster than a Wimbledon line judge. Couple this with the firm footing and the ability to get high on spin which these hard courts at Melbourne Park endow, she makes an intriguing prospect.
Then we have Leylah Fernandez, ranked a humble 30 in the tournament. However, humility and 5 bucks can get you a cup of coffee and not much else in this showdown. She's no wallflower herself though, coming off a few key wins. As sturdy as she is, Fernandez does occasionally slip, making the grittier, spin-happy, hard-surface a bit of a foe.
Coco has shown us she's got an affinity for love, serving more bagels than a New York deli and usually in straight sets, where Fernandez shows a little more sympathy to her opponents, letting them grasp a set here and there. Gauff's recent performance against Kenin S. and Zheng Q. speaks volumes about her ability to take on the best and shrug it off like dandruff on a black suit.
Now, I'm not one to prance around the bush folks, but if I were a betting man, and thank the lord I'm not because my wife would kill me, I'd be putting my money on Coco Gauff. Despite Fernandez's best efforts, of course, and no hard feelings, this isn't a 'Campfire Kumbaya' session after all. Gauff seems to have a grip too strong and a game too potent for Fernandez to counter on the day.
Albert's Prediction: Gauff in straight sets.