- Coco Gauff defeats 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
- She has won seven straight games to begin her 2023 campaign.
- Gauff’s next opponent will be either Bernarda or Zheng Qinwen.
In a tense opening encounter, world No. 7 American Coco Gauff upset 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-4, 7-6(4) to go to the third round of the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Gauff’s next opponent will be either Croatian-born American Bernarda Pera or Chinese Zheng Qinwen, with the victor moving on to the Round of 16.
The tournament’s youngest seed, 18-year-old Gauff, has now won seven straight games to begin her 2023 campaign. At the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she won her third career title, she kicked off the year by going undefeated in five matches, dropping just 22 games.
Gauff’s match tenacity was evident in the first set as the American won the crucial points. She defeated Raducanu’s momentum by saving six of seven break points, taking the opening set 6-3 in 43 minutes.
In the second set, Raducanu began to take control of the game. The 20-year-old British player started to serve better and came back from a 4-2 deficit to regain the serve. With 10 of her 13 groundstroke victories coming from that side, her backhand proved to be the more threatening wing.
Serving down 5-4, Gauff had to save two set points in order to hold, but after forcing the tiebreak, the American played a more straightforward final game to secure the victory after 1 hour and 42 minutes.
