At the start of the new season, the top tennis players will compete in the Australian Open. Coco Gauff, who is currently the third rocket in the world, could not be missing in Melbourne. In the first round, the 20-year-old's opponent was her compatriot Sofia Kenin (74th WTA), whom she defeated 6:3, 6:3. Jodie Burrage, 170 places lower, caused her slightly more difficulties. Despite this, Gauff managed to beat the British in two sets 6:3, 7:5.
Gauff's show of strength. Former US Open finalist defeated
It seemed that the American would have her most difficult match so far in the match against Leylah Fernandez (29th WTA). After all, the Canadian is a 2021 US Open finalist. The meeting of both players at the 1/16 final stage of the AO started around 9:15 Polish time. Initially, the match was quite even, neither player lost her serve.
Until the seventh game, when Gauff broke Fernandez and took the lead 5:3. Then the Canadian won on her serve, but a moment later the WTA Finals champion enjoyed winning the set. In the second game, the scenario was completely different. After three breaks, the 20-year-old was quickly winning 5:1. She was not hindered by the fact that Fernandez managed to get one game on her pass.
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Ultimately, after an hour and 17 minutes, Coco Gauff defeated her opponent, who was two years older, 6:4, 6:2. Interestingly, the world's third racket made as many as 25 unforced errors – two more than Leylah Fernandez. Despite this, she had as many as 18 finishing balls, which shows how great her form has been in recent weeks. “Excellent. Flawless. Flawless,” raved the Grand Slam's official profile.
Thanks to the win, Gauff advanced to the 1/8 finals of the Australian Open. There she will face Swiss Belinda Bencic (WTA 294). It was the American woman's tenth victory in a row on world courts. Recently, she defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, the leader and runner-up of the WTA ranking.