The American, aiming to achieve the rare feat of winning both the US Open and Australian Open consecutively for the first time since Naomi Osaka in 2018-19, had a shaky beginning.
by MOHAMMED AZMATHULLA
Coco Gauff comfortably advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Monday, dominating her match against unseeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova with a 6-3, 6-0 victory on the centre court.
Despite a somewhat nervous start, the American, aiming to become the first woman since Naomi Osaka in 2018-19 to secure consecutive victories at the US Open and Australian Open, proved too strong for her opponent from Slovakia. Schmiedlova struggled throughout, failing to win any of her seven service games.
In the opening set, the fourth-seeded Gauff broke Schmiedlova, ranked 68th, four times, with two crucial holds securing the set for the 19-year-old, who had recently defended her Auckland title.
Gauff found her rhythm in the second set, clinching it 6-0 in just 25 minutes on the sun-soaked Rod Laver Arena.
Reflecting on her performance, Gauff admitted to some nerves in the first set but expressed satisfaction with her returning and improved serving towards the end. The teenager acknowledged the usual first-round jitters at a major tournament and revealed that she had to give herself a pep talk on the court, encouraging herself to relax and have fun.
Gauff is set to face unseeded American Caroline Dolehide in the second round.
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