Tim Henman noticed the big difference between Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu after seeing them play against each other in Rome

Coco Gauff cruised into the Italian Open quarter-finals with a dominant straight-sets victory over Emma Raducanu.

Gauff dismantled Raducanu with her forehand and wrapped the match up in 79 minutes, the score finishing 6-1, 6-2 in favour of the American.

It was just the second time the two former US Open champions had met, with their first clash coming at the Australian Open in 2023, where Gauff also emerged victorious.

The 21-year-old enters a fifth quarter-final of the season, in pursuit of her second title of the year, having already clinched the United Cup in January, where Gauff beat Iga Swiatek in the final to hold the trophy aloft.

Following her dominant victory, British tennis legend Tim Henman spotted the big reason for how Gauff was able to sweep aside Raducanu at the Italian Open so comfortably.

Photo by PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP via Getty Images

Tim Henman said Coco Gauff’s explosive speed was the biggest difference in her victory

Speaking on Sky Sports after Raducanu’s heavy defeat, Henman said: “Emma looked over in our direction and said it’s so heavy. That is Gauff’s ball striking.”

“For me, the biggest area of difference is that explosive speed in and out of the corners.”

“When Emma Raducanu was hitting some great groundstrokes, Gauff was able to slide into them and stay in the rally with the open stance backhand, and then a couple of times when Emma was moving forehand, trying to slide in, she didn’t look quite as comfortable.”

The former world number four added: “A great performance from Gauff, but a lot to build on from Raducanu.”

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Tim Henman says if clay is Coco Gauff’s best surface

When asked if clay is Gauff’s best surface, Henman answered: “I still think hard courts because that is the surface she has been brought up on”

“But when you see her athletic ability, and then you see she has time on her forehand, it is much harder to rush Gauff’s forehand on clay because the ball does not skip through so much.”

“She has time, she has that big swing, but she can generate a lot of power and spin, and her forehand looked great today.

“Second serve I guess can be vulnerable on any surface, but it didn’t look like it was causing her many problems. And when she is executing those shots well, it gives her a lot of freedom to be aggressive.”

Gauff looks to seal her fourth career WTA 1000 singles title in the Eternal City, before entering her sixth Roland Garros, which starts on the 25th of May.

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