Tatjana Maria vs. Coco Gauff US Open prediction, odds, tip

Tatjana Maria will face Coco Gauff at the 2024 US Open. Our 2024 US Open odds series includes our prediction and tip for Maria Gauff. Find out how to watch Maria Gauff.

It was a great start to the US Open for Coco Gauff on Monday. She couldn't have asked for a better match against Varvara Gracheva. After a brief hiccup early in the match, Gauff dominated, pulling out a 6-2, 6-0 victory that most people most likely didn't expect. Let's remember that Gauff lost early at Wimbledon and then went to the Olympics in Paris and went home with zero medals in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She was frustrated and not in great shape. The limitations of her game – especially her forehand – were exposed. A player who has had such a successful career at such a young age is bound to hit a rough patch. Gauff found it. She didn't want to, but that's the life of a professional tennis player. Every top player has these patches; how they respond to them shows how good they are.

Gauff's strong first-round play doesn't necessarily mean she should suddenly be considered the favorite to win the tournament – that's still Aryna Sabalenka – but the encouraging first-round performance at least offers a hint that Gauff could be on the verge of rebuilding her game and gaining more confidence. In New York, where she is the crowd favorite, she could ride the wave of support from her home country and go further in this tournament than many tennis experts think. Let's see what happens in the second round as she tries to get into her stride ahead of the weekend.

Here are the odds for Tatjana Maria-Coco Gauff at the US Open, courtesy of FanDuel.

US Open odds: Tatjana Maria-Coco Gauff odds

Gameplay:

Mary +7.5: -126
Gauff -7.5: -108

Money line:

Mary +1600

Gauff-4500

How to win the first set:

Mary +940

Gauff-1600

Total number of games in the game:

Over 16.5: -134
Under 16.5: +102

Total number of games won:

Maria over 4.5: -136
Maria under 4.5: +102

Gauff over 12.5: +230
Gauff under 12.5: -330

How to watch the US Open

Time: 7:15 p.m. ET/4:15 p.m. PT

Television: ESPN, ESPN Plus

Stream: (free trial)

Why Tatjana Maria will win

Gauff was excellent in the first round, there's no doubt about that. That performance is probably why the match here against Maria is rated that way. If Gauff had beaten Gracheva 6-3, 6-3, the game spread would be 6.5 instead of 7.5. Since Gauff won that match by 10 games (12-2), she drops one more game against Maria. That one game could be crucial in terms of a spread bet.

Maria won't win this match outright, but to do so, Maria only needs to win five games, most likely some combination of three games in one set and two in the other. It's unusual — but not unheard of — for a player to lose 6-0, 7-5 (five games won) or 6-1, 6-4 (five games won). As long as Maria wins at least two games in each set and wins three in one of those two sets, she's in the running. Will Gauff dominate another match? A player would have to be nearly perfect to win 6-2, 6-2 or better. Gauff could win 6-2, 6-3 and play great; it's hard to win games like Gauff did on Monday. The laws of averages say she won't do it back to back.

Why Coco Gauff will win

Gauff must be feeling great after the first round. She could just take her confidence into the second round and keep the steamroller rolling.

Final Tatjana Maria-Coco Gauff forecast and selection

Gauff easing up and winning by six or seven games seems like the right outcome, but after seeing her come out on top in the first round, we're going to skip this match.

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Final Tatjana Maria-Coco Gauff prediction and selection: Maria +7.5