Coco Gauff is already a Grand Slam and a WTA Finals champion at just 21, but 2025 hasn’t been smooth sailing for the American. She kicked off the year in style with a perfect 9-0 record, helping Team USA clinch the United Cup and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Since then, however, her results have been inconsistent, and she’s still searching for her first title of the season. Up next for her is 21-year-old German qualifier Ella Seidel—a rare occasion where Gauff will play someone younger than her. Can Coco shift gears on the red clay and regain her rhythm?

Coco Gauff vs Ella Seidel: Preview

Gauff’s season so far has been solid but not spectacular, with 13 wins in 17 matches. She looked sharp early in the year, especially during her United Cup run and at the Australian Open. But the momentum didn’t carry through. In the Middle East, she suffered early exits and couldn’t quite find her groove. Her fortunes slightly improved in the US swing. At Indian Wells, she made it to the fourth round but was beaten by Belinda Bencic in a close three-set match. Then came Miami, where she again reached the fourth round but lost to Magda Linette in straight sets, 4-6, 4-6. Now, she hopes to change things up in the red dirt.

Meanwhile, Ella Seidel comes into this match as a lucky loser but has made the most of her opportunity. The German’s 2025 main-draw WTA record stands at 2–2, and her overall tally is 7–9 when including qualifiers and lower-tier events.

Although she’s still new to this level, Seidel has had a few notable results. Her best run this year came at the Winners Open in Romania, where she reached the quarterfinals. In Stuttgart, she edged past Tatjana Maria in a hard-fought three-setter, winning 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 in a match that lasted nearly three hours.

Coco Gauff vs Ella Seidel: Head-to-Head

This will be the first meeting between Coco Gauff and Ella Seidel on the professional circuit. These two young players have never faced each other before.

Prediction: Coco Gauff to win in straight sets

As compared to Ella Seidel, Coco Gauff is more experienced and higher-ranked, making her a clear favorite going into this contest. While her recent results haven’t met her usual standards, this is a great chance for Coco to build some confidence on clay. In Stuttgart, she’s among the top four seeds and needs just one win to reach the quarterfinals. The clay surface could help her reset, especially with key ranking points up for grabs ahead of Roland Garros. Coco managed to reach the quarterfinals in Stuttgart last year.

Seidal, on the other hand, has shown promise on clay, having won several titles at lower levels on the surface. Her heavy groundstrokes can be effective, but her inconsistency remains a concern. The German may find some rhythm on her preferred surface, but the gap in experience and quality against Gauff could be tough to bridge.

Seidel’s win against Maria showed grit, but Gauff presents a much tougher challenge, especially in terms of movement and shot tolerance on clay. Against top players, the margin for error is small, and the German’s indecisiveness during key moments could be costly.

One worrying trend for Gauff has been her serve. She currently leads the WTA chart in double faults for 2025, with 121 across 18 matches. She’s also won only 38.9% of points behind her second serve this year. In her most recent match, the 21-year-old hit 12 double faults in the loss to Linette—numbers she’ll want to improve as the clay season unfolds.

If Coco Gauff can clean up her serve and reduce the no. of double faults, she should be able to control this match and win in straight sets.