MELBOURNE: World number three Coco Gauff overcame early serving struggles and a strong challenge from fellow American Hailey Baptiste to book her place in the Australian Open last 16 on Friday.
The third seed bounced back from losing the opening set to claim a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory at Melbourne Park. Gauff will now face 19th seed Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Despite being a two-time Grand Slam champion, the 21-year-old is still chasing her first Australian Open final appearance. Reflecting on her slow start, Gauff said she focused on improving her first serve rather than making drastic changes.
“I tried to get more first serves in and stayed calm,” Gauff said after the match. “I told myself if she kept playing at that level and I couldn’t raise mine, then fair play to her. But I was able to lift my game.”
Serve Woes and Strong Response
Gauff began confidently, breaking Baptiste’s serve in the opening game on a sunlit Margaret Court Arena. However, persistent serving issues resurfaced as she double-faulted twice in her first service game, allowing the 70th-ranked Baptiste to break back and take control of the opening set.
With an upset looming, Gauff returned to the court with renewed intensity. She stormed through the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead in just 13 minutes and sealing the set 6-0 in 35 minutes, showing far greater composure on serve.
Baptiste, playing in the third round of the Australian Open for the first time, struggled to contain Gauff’s aggressive returns in the deciding set. As errors crept into her game, Gauff seized momentum, breaking for a 4-2 lead and closing out the match confidently.
Call for Respect from the Crowd
During the match, Gauff also addressed a spectator who appeared to make an inappropriate remark about Baptiste.
“Hailey is a great competitor,” Gauff said. “We’re all doing our best out here. Let’s be respectful.”
With the win, Gauff continues her pursuit of a deeper run in Melbourne as she prepares for a challenging encounter against Muchova.