Australian Open: Gauff, Osaka, Pegula, Sabalenka advance to third round
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Synopsis
Coco Gauff has reached nine consecutive match victories after defeating Jodie Burrage in the Australian Open second round. Naomi Osaka returned to Grand Slam action, while Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka also advanced, setting up exciting third-round matches.
Key Takeaways
- Coco Gauff extends her winning streak to nine matches.
- Naomi Osaka reaches the third round after her return to Grand Slam tennis.
- Jessica Pegula snaps her losing streak against Elise Mertens.
- Aryna Sabalenka wins her 16th straight match at the Australian Open.
- All players are gearing up for thrilling third-round encounters.
Melbourne, Jan 15 (NationPress) American prodigy Coco Gauff has now achieved a remarkable nine-match winning streak after overcoming Jodie Burrage with a score of 6-3, 7-5 in the second round of the Australian Open.
The young American had to rally from a 5-3 deficit in the second set to secure victory against the World No. 173. Gauff showcased her incredible speed and consistency, initially taking a 3-1 lead in the second set. However, Burrage threatened to turn the match around, winning four consecutive games, before Gauff responded with her own four-game streak to clinch the match.
With this victory, Gauff is set to face Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 US Open finalist and No. 30 seed, who triumphed over Cristina Bucsa with a score of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, securing her place in the third round.
In other notable matches on Day 4, two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka marked her return to the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since giving birth in July 2023.
The world No. 51 from Japan came back from a set down to win against 20th seed Karolina Muchova with a score of 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, after a nearly two-hour battle. Osaka delivered 33 winners compared to 27 unforced errors, while Muchova registered 27 winners with 29 unforced errors.
Next, Osaka will compete against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who is also participating in her first Grand Slam since giving birth last year. Bencic advanced by defeating Suzan Lamens in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6(3).
In a separate match, seventh seed Jessica Pegula broke her losing streak against the 2018 semifinalist Elise Mertens with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 victory at Margaret Court Arena.
Pegula, who reached three consecutive Australian Open quarterfinals from 2021 to 2023, took just 1 hour and 11 minutes to overcome Mertens, the highest-ranked unseeded player.
In the round of 32, Pegula will face Olga Danilovic, who achieved a surprising 6-1, 6-2 win over 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka had to fight hard to achieve her 16th consecutive win at Melbourne Park. After losing the first set, Sabalenka found herself trailing 5-2 in the second. Despite the challenge posed by Bouzas Maneiro, who led in the second set, Sabalenka regained control, winning five consecutive games to take the second set and secure her spot in the third round for the fifth consecutive year.
She has become the first woman to achieve 16 straight victories at the Australian Open since Victoria Azarenka in 2014. Sabalenka is also aiming to be the first woman to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles since Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
With this win, Sabalenka remains in contention to maintain her World No. 1 ranking as the tournament progresses, although Iga Swiatek and Gauff also have the potential to claim the top spot following the Australian Open.
Additionally, 14th seed Mirra Andreeva faced a close call against Moyuka Uchijima, who served for the match at 5-4 in the third set before the 17-year-old ultimately prevailed with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(10-8).
