Koko Gauf vs Sofia Kenin Australian Open prediction, odds, selection

Coco Gauff she plays Sofia Kenin in the first round in 2025 Australian Open. Our Australian Open quota series has our Gauff-Kenin forecast, odds and picks. Learn how to watch Gauff-Kenin.

There are some very interesting first round matches at the Australian Open 2025. One is a battle between first seed (and tournament favorite) Arina Sabalenka and American veteran Sloan Stevens. You’ll notice that Sabalenka-Stevens is a matchup of major champions. Sabalenka won two tournaments last year and won the last two Australian Opens. Stephens won the 2017 US Open title.

This match between Coco Gauf and Sofia Kenin is also a clash of major champions in the first round. Gauff won the US Open title in 2023, while Kenin won the Australian Open in 2020. Interestingly, multiple first-round matches at a major tournament should feature two major title winners. Gauff vs. Kenin will be fascinating to watch. Now we have to wait and see if Kenin, whose star has fallen in recent years, can somehow find a way to bounce back and return to the top of the WTA Tour.

Note this point about Kenin: She didn’t just win the Australian Open. She also reached the final of the 2020 French Open, losing to Iga Sviatek. When Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open, it wasn’t a flash, at least in the sense that Kenin continued to play good tennis after that title, and on surfaces that weren’t hard. Kenin’s defense and toughness — the formula Gauff used to break into the top three in the world rankings — were considered viable, but it just didn’t happen for her. However, Kenin is 26 years old. She still has a lot of time left in her career if she can make some course corrections and find some solutions. It’s not like her clock is running out. She just has to regroup and see what she is capable of.

Gauff enters this tournament after a very impressive run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open last year, where she lost to Sabalenka, the eventual champion. Gauff’s main challenge at the start of the first major of the 2025 season is to hit a bigger, more consistent forehand. It’s a wing where she often lags against comparable opponents. If she can significantly improve her forehand and what she is able to produce from that shot, Gauff should be able to add another major championship to her trophy case in 2025. She has the winning mentality, court speed, defense and overall toughness needed to win majors title. A forehand and a more consistent first serve can lift her over the top.

Here’s Gauff-Kenin Australian Open oddscourtesy of FanDuel.

Australian Open odds: Gauff-Kenin odds

Game Range:

Gauff -6.5 (-126)
Kenin +6.5 (-108)

Moneiline:

Gauff -1600

Kenin +8

To win the first set:

Gauff -750

Kenin +5

Total matches in the match:

Over 17.5 (-130)
Under 17.5 (-104)

Total games won:

Gauff over 12.5 (+164)
Gauff under 12.5 (-225)

Kenin over 5.5 (-126)
Under 5.5 (-106)

How to watch the Australian Open

Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT

TV: ESPN2, ESPN Plus

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Why Coco Gauff Will Win

Gauf is a much better and more confident tennis player than Kenin. Kenin’s best days appear to be behind her, while Gauff’s ceiling is high and her future is bright.

Why Sofia Kenin will win

Kenin is a persistent competitor. Even if things don’t go well for her, she’ll be back and she won’t give Gauf anything cheap. She can stay in this match and force Gauff to serve to win the points. If Gauff has an off day as a server, this could get really interesting.

The final Gauff-Kenin prediction and selection

We’re leaning towards Kenin, but our official recommendation is to stay away from this one and gather information on Gauff for future rounds.

Final Gauff-Kenin Prediction & Pick: Kenin +6.5